


By Your Hand (Is the Only End I Forsee)

by aphorisnt



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: I don't know what else to tag this with, M/M, Soul Bond, and also not full of death, and in space, baby's first posted fic, but gayer, kinda romeo and juliet-esque, obi is full of sass, qui is full of angst, sith!obi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-04-01 03:57:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 35,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13989978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aphorisnt/pseuds/aphorisnt
Summary: In the midst of the Clone Wars, Qui-Gon Jinn comes across a Sith Lord he is sure he has never encountered before. So why, then, does he feel familiar? And why does Qui-Gon feel drawn to him?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SWModdy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SWModdy/gifts).



> To dearest Moddy on your birthday.
> 
> This is the first fic I'm publishing on this site, and my third ever period, so I'm hella nervous but excited to post!! It's also the longest work I've ever written (I'm sitting on top of a good 40 pages and I'm still only, like, half-way done). I'm gonna try to update every week as long as I can keep up with finishing chapters on schedule and real life doesn't explode, so expect updates around every Fri-ish. Also, the rating may change; we'll see.
> 
> Since this is my first ever fic on ao3 and third ever, any and all kudos and comments would be super appreciated!! Let me know what you think and definitely tell me if there's anything I need to fix or work on. I'm my own beta and I only edit sometimes because editing is hard and I don't like it, so all mistakes are mine. Feel free to point out any egregious errors.
> 
> I don't really know how to html but I tried, so if the italics work then they denote mind-speech.
> 
> Title from "By Your Hand" by Los Campesinos!

Qui-Gon lifted his blade to block another strike. The Sith Lord had been hammering away at his defenses and even this long into their duel showed no sign of relenting. Qui-Gon could feel himself breathing hard as fatigue began to set in. He had poured all the strength he had into devastating attacks, striking out with concerted effort and employing the skilled acrobatics his large frame belied to both sneak in last second blows and evade the Sith’s own strikes. However, despite his best efforts, he could not break through the man’s near-impenetrable defenses.

Now, tired, on the back foot, struggling to re-center himself in the Force and rally his strength for a few more minutes–just long enough for Anakin to arrive with back-up–, Qui-Gon could barely hold back the flurry of blows now that the Sith had switched to the offensive.

“I expected better,” the ginger-haired man said, his bright red blade reflected in molten golden eyes. “Aren’t you supposed to be one of the Jedi’s better duelists? A pity of this is the best your pathetic order has to offer.”

He pulled back his lips in a sneer as he struck again at the Jedi, Qui-Gon just managing to raise a last minute defense, arms shaking with the effort.

“I am far from the best the Order has to offer,” Qui-Gon replied. “But even I can defeat you.” Qui-Gon knew he was lying and bravado was usually unbecoming of a Jedi, but at the moment he was willing to do whatever it took to stall just a minute longer.

“Oh can you now?” the Sith asked as the two traded a few more blows back and forth and Qui-Gon continually gave ground until he was forced to one knee. “Because from where I’m standing,” with a flick of his lightsaber he deftly disarmed Qui-Gon, sending the Jedi’s ‘saber skidding across the ground, “you’ve already lost.” He gazed down with a haughty, self-assured look, confident in his victory.

Qui-Gon found his back pressed nearly to the wall, his foot just centimeter from the durasteel, and nowhere to run. He reached out into the Force for Anakin and found his former apprentice still too far away to offer aid. This was it for him. He had survived death at the hands of one Sith Lord over a decade ago only to face such an ending now.

“Whatever happens to me will be as the Force wills it and I will accept my fate with dignity. Even if I am not the one to stop you,” he intoned, “you will not win. Even if I fall now there are hundreds yet who can rise up in my place and defeat you once and for all. You may strike me down here but I can promise you now that you will never know true victory.”

 _I’m sorry, Anakin,_ he sent through their old training bond. _Know that you were the best Padawan a Master could ever ask for, the best mission partner, and Code be damned I have always cared for you above all else. Look to the Force and you can find me always._ He wasn’t sure how many if his words made it across to the other man, but he hoped Anakin had heard enough to know he was truly cared for. With those final words he closed off the bond and raised his shields as high as he could, anything to protect his former Padawan from having to experience his death.

“Such pretty words” the Sith Lord laughed. “I’m sure they helped you in many a negotiation, but alas, they can do nothing to save you now. Enjoy your one-ness with the Force, Qui-Gon Jinn.”

He lifted his ‘saber, ready to deliver a killing blow–but he stopped at the last second, blade just inches from Qui-Gon’s neck. “No,” he whispered, almost too quietly for Qui-Gon to make out. “Not you, not here.”

Qui-Gon could only gaze up at his would-be murderer in confusion. There he was, unarmed and on his knees, waiting to be executed, but something had brought the Sith to a dead stop.

The man locked eyes with him for a moment, fiery gold meeting icy blue, and then he murmured almost fondly, “Oh, Qui-Gon, why does it always have to be you?”

The barest hint of a smile graced the Sith’s face then, a real smile, not a sneer or wry smirk, and as the two continued to stare at each other time seemed to slow to a crawl. Qui-Gon was still confused, but through that confusion he felt something. There, so weak he almost could have missed it, shone the tiniest thread of connection between him and the Sith in the Force. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say it was some kind of bond. But that was impossible; a bond with a Sith whom he had never met?

At least, he thought they had never met. But something in the back of Qui-Gon’s mind began to stir, the tiniest flash of recognition, of having felt that Force signature before. In that frozen moment, some part of Qui-Gon was sure he knew the man before him.

Then time sped back up and the moment shattered.

Qui-Gon could hear feet pounding down the hall on the other side of the door and felt Anakin approaching. His former Padawan’s urgency and anxiety rang through the Force so loudly he almost cringed. Fists pounded on the door before the telltale sound of a lightsaber rending metal pierced the air.

“Well,” said the Sith, seeming to have completely recovered from their earlier moment. “It seems our time together has been cut short. Until we meet again, Qui-Gon.”

With that he turned on his heel and quickly exited the room.

And not a moment too soon as in the next few seconds Anakin Force-shoved the molten circle of metal that used to be the door into the adjacent wall with a loud clang and jumped through the hole.

“Master!” he shouted. “Are you ok? I could feel you in the Force and then you closed off our bond! I thought I lost you!”

“I am alright, Padawan,” Qui-Gon said, groaning softly as he pushed himself back to his feet. “Though for a second there I thought I was going to lose that fight. Well, I suppose I did lose it but I managed to keep my life. Your timely arrival seems to have scared off our newest Sith assassin. Or maybe Sith Lord,” he mused. “I can never tell what with their sudden bucking of the whole ‘only two Sith’ rule Master Yoda mentioned.”

“Well I’m glad I got here just in time then,” Anakin said with a grin.

Qui-Gon crossed the room to pick up his fallen lightsaber and attached it to his belt before looking off in the direction the Sith Lord had escaped. He knew he should probably go after the man but after their battle he felt in no shape to do so. Also, there was that lingering feeling of recognition he still couldn’t explain, not to mention the…he didn’t want to call it a bond, that was clearly impossible. The _thing_ between them.

“Master? Are you all right?”

Anakin’s concern broke into his thoughts. “Yes, Anakin, just curious about the identity of this new Sith.”

“Well, we’ll have time to figure that out later. Come on, we gotta go meet back up with the troops.”

“Lead the way, former Padawan of mine.”

 

Qui-Gon and Anakin had just enough time to check in with the troopers before reporting to the council.

“Rex, Cody,” Qui-Gon called, “glad to see the droids didn’t cause you too much trouble.”

“It’s gonna take a lot more than a few clankers to get to us, Sir,” Rex replied with a grin.

“What about you, Sir? Are you all right?” Cody asked. “Heard you took on a Sith all by yourself.”

“A little worse for wear but no real harm done,” Qui-Gon answered.

“Yeah, thanks to me,” Anakin chimed in. “If I hadn’t shown up when I did you would’ve been a head shorter. Literally”

“Then it’s a good thing you did, Padawan,” Qui-Gon said, placing a fond hand on Anakin’s shoulder and studiously ignoring how both troopers grimaced at the mention of his near-death. He would probably have two armored shadows for the next few tens.

“Well, now that everyone is together, let’s pack it in and get back to the ship,” Anakin said.

“Yes, Sir!” Rex and Cody saluted. The two went to round up the rest of the troopers and load everything back onto the Redeemer.

“Ready to face the Council?” Qui-Gon asked, a teasing smile on his face as he walked up the ramp to the ship.

“Am I ever?” Anakin groaned in reply beside him. “Ok, let’s get this over with.”

The two approached the comm station and called up the blue hologram forms of the Council members.

“Masters,” Qui-Gon said with a bow, “we are here to report on the success of our mission.”

“We destroyed the droid foundry and have the Separatists on the run. From here it’s just a mop-up effort,” Anakin spoke up.

“Excellent,” Mace Windu said, grave as ever. “If that is all then you may return to Coruscant as soon as the mop-up team arrives. You can give your full report to us upon arrival. You and your men have earned a short rest before we send you on your next mission.”

“Actually, Mace,” Qui-Gon said, throwing proper titles to the wind, “that’s not all. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the onslaught of questions. We, or rather I, encountered a new Sith, one I do not believe any of us have yet faced.”

“A new Sith? Grave news this is,” Yoda intoned. “Return to Cosruscant immediately, you and Skywalker will. Report to the Council in person on the appearance of this Sith you will.”

“Yes, Master Yoda,” both Qui-Gon and Anakin said.

“See you soon we will. May the Force be with you.”

The call winked out leaving Qui-Gon and Anakin alone in the comm station.

Qui-Gon blinked. He had expected a full-scale interrogation on his encounter but had instead gotten off with a simple “tell us about it later.” He didn’t know whether to be relieved that he had avoided the questions now or anxious for the coming interrogation once he and Anakin faced the Council in person.

“Well that was pretty painless,” Anakin said with a smile.

“Only because the real meeting is yet to come,” Qui-Gon replied. “Come, let’s alert the troops to our departure and then ready a ship. I’m sure the Council is anxious for us to get back and give a full report.”

“Yes, Master.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who left kudos in comments. You guys are actually the best and I super appreciate every one of you!! Your encouragement definitely helps give me the motivation I need to keep working through this thing.
> 
> Again, I'm my own beta so all mistakes are mine so if you spot something feel free to let me know.

Qui-Gon did his best to recall every detail of his fight with the Sith.

“He was able to separate me from Anakin, who he locked on the other side of a bulkhead in the facility. He was strong, able to nearly beat me–in fact he did. But I noticed for the beginning of our duel he seemed to favor a defensive form, an odd choice for a Sith. It almost looked like Soresu, though how he came to know the form I cannot say. Perhaps Dooku taught it to him.

“He managed to wear me down before turning on the offensive and had me backed against the wall and disarmed. I’m almost positive he was about to kill me, but he stopped for some reason. I’m not sure why but something made him pause long enough for Anakin to arrive.”

“He was already running by the time I got there,” Anakin put in. “And he was long gone before we were even ready to chase after him.”

“Troubling, this is, to have found such a powerful foe,” Yoda said. “Describe him to me, you will.”

“He was a human male of about average height and build, though more on the muscular side. Pale skin and coppery red hair. He spoke basic with a core accent, but that’s the only clue we have as to what planet he’s from. He knew me by name so he has some familiarity with the Order, another sign that he is one of Dooku’s.

“And…” Qui-Gon trailed off.

“Yes, Qui-Gon?” Plo Koon asked, leaning forward in his seat.

“It’s…I don’t know how to describe it and I can’t say for sure but some part of me seemed to recognize this Sith. I’ve never encountered him before at any point throughout the war and no one else has reported seeing him, but there was something about him…”

The Council members looked concerned, a few whispering among themselves.

“Is that all?” Mace asked.

“No,” Qui-Gon said softly, staring out the window into the skylanes beyond. “There was something else. I can’t explain it in any way but I _felt something_ in the Force, something between us. I don’t know how to describe it but it felt almost like a bond.”

Uproar broke out in the Council chambers, everyone talking at once before Mace was finally able to bring the room back under control.

“Peace, everyone, we need to discuss this more.

“Now,” he said, turning to Qui-Gon. “What did you mean when you said it ‘felt like a bond?’”

“Honestly, exactly that, like a sort of thread connecting the two of us through the Force. I can’t properly explain it, especially since we have never met, but there was something there. And I think he felt it too. I think that may have been what stopped him from killing me on the spot.”

“Of grave concern this is,” Yoda said. “Discuss this further, the Council must. Dismissed for now you two are.”

“Thank you Masters,” Qui-Gon said, he and Anakin bowing in sync.

“We will let you know if we have any more information on that Sith,” Mace added.

Qui-Gon and Anakin turned and exited the Council chambers, the doors closing gently behind them.

“Do you think this new Sith might be him?” Mace asked the room.

“Impossible,” Oppo Rancisis said. “The physical description may match slightly but we lost track of him and assumed him dead years ago and for all we know those reports were falsified. Plus it had been over a decade since anyone from the Order had seen him, so for all we know the man Knights Muln and Eerin claim to have seen could be a completely different person.”

“I am inclined to agree with Oppo,” Shaak Ti’s holo form said. “We have been looking for even the slightest hint of him ever since that first alleged sighting and haven’t seen even so much as a sign of him. I’m not willing to rule it out entirely, but until we have more evidence I don’t think we can say it’s him.”

“Whether or not it is indeed him is something we can figure out at a later date,” Plo broke in. “For now, I think the issue is whether or not we tell Qui-Gon of our suspicions.”

“Absolutely not,” Mace said. “He’s enough of a loose canon at times as is; if we tell him this there’s no telling what he might do.”

“But if our suspicions are correct we can’t just _not_ tell Qui-Gon when it could be valuable information,” Kit Fisto’s holo argued. “You heard him yourself, that Sith almost got the better of him. He needs as much information to help him as he can get. We all do.”

“ But what if this compromises him?” Adi Gallia asked. “I don’t want to keep anything from him either, but if we have to keep him in the dark for his own good…”

“Decide what to tell him later we can, hmm” Yoda said, silencing everyone. “Need more information first, more evidence, we do before move forward we can.

“Master Windu,” he said, turning to Mace. “Investigate this matter you will. Find out what you can about the identity of this Sith, you should and report your findings you will.”

“I accept this mission, Master Yoda,” Mace said in turn.

“Good. Then let the matter rest for now we will.”

 

“Is it just me, or was the Council acting kinda weird back there about the Sith?” Anakin asked as he leapt over Qui-Gon’s strike.

“To me the Council always seems ‘weird,’” Qui-Gon laughed as he flipped over Anakin’s head to land behind the Knight. “But yes, they did seem to be acting a tad strange.”

After meeting with the Council the two had elected to spar and were engaged in an easy fight in one of the smaller training salles.

“Do you think there’s something they’re not telling us?” Anakin asked as he quickly spun to block Qui-Gon’s next blow.

“It’s possible. I would like to believe they would share whatever they know with us but then the Council has often been prone to secrecy and sharing on a need-to-know basis. Though their list of just who needs to know leaves something to be desired/”

Qui-Gon quickly recovered, feinting low before aiming a strike high towards Anakin’s shoulder. Anakin caught on and dodged out of the way, then aimed a strike of his own right at Qui-Gon’s torso. Qui-Gon jumped back, parrying at the last second, and used his acrobatic prowess to jump clean over Anakin again. This time his blow landed and he scored a hit on Anakin’s lower back.

“Solah,” Anakin panted; now that he had taken the time to slow down he realized his fatigue.

“Excellent work, Padawan,” Qui-Gon said, clapping the other man on the shoulder. “It won’t be much longer before you surpass me entirely.”

“Not your Padawan anymore,” Anakin replied with a grin. “And just you wait; I’ll have you beat soon for sure.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Qui-Gon laughed.

Anakin returned to the subject at hand. “So what do you think they’re hiding?”

“Well I can’t say for sure if they’re hiding anything yet, but I’m inclined to believe they know more about our newest Sith Lord than they’re letting on. That uproar wasn’t for nothing.”

“But how would they know anything?” Anakin asked, confused. “No one’s ever seen him before now, otherwise there would’ve been an alert for a new possible threat, so unless they have some kind of insider information…”

“I don’t know, my young former apprentice. Perhaps we will have to wait for them to give us more information or see what we can dig up on our own.

“For now, let’s both hit the showers and we can discuss this more tonight over latemeal.”

“Sounds like a plan, Master.”

 

That night Qui-Gon dreamt of a young boy, an Initiate of no more than twelve, with bright blue-green eyes, a kind if reserved smile, and a shock of ginger hair.

The boy seemed to want something from him, seeming to almost to the point begging, but Qui-Gon couldn’t make out the words. Instead his dream self walked away from the boy, continuing down a hallway in what appeared to be the Jedi Temple.

A last look back and he thought he could make out tears in the boy’s eyes but he couldn’t tell for sure. In the dream he resolutely turned forward and kept walking away, mind already on other tasks.

When Qui-Gon woke the next morning he couldn’t remember most of his dream and was left only with the vague impression of a sad-looking child. He shook off the thought as he readied himself for the day and set about his morning meditation.

However, try as he might, he could not completely rid himself of the image of that child’s face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quality time with Dooku, a new mission, and more of the council being shady af

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, now we got the whole lineage together!! I'm sure that heralds only great things.
> 
> As always, all comments and kudos are hella appreciated!!!

“I’m surprised at you, Darth Descarado,” Dooku said almost disdainfully. “Not that I’m not glad you let Qui-Gon live–on the contrary I’m quite pleased as I’ll admit I do still have a soft spot for my former Padawan–but letting your prey escape so far has not quite been your style.”

“I know, Lord Tyranus, and I apologize. I can’t quite explain what came over me.”

“Well then try. From what you’ve told me it seems you had Jinn on his knees, literally, and could have delivered the killing blow at any time. You are not normally one to hesitate.”

“No, Lord Tyranus.”

“And while I’m not displeased that _Qui-Gon_ continues to live I can’t help but mourn the missed opportunity to take out the Skywalker whelp. Had you dispatched Qui-Gon there and then Skywalker would have merely been an afterthought, unskilled and emotional as he is.”

“Yes, Lord Tyranus.”

“Still I believe you owe me a better explanation than simply, what was it you said? ‘The Force stopped you from killing him?’ Honestly, Descarado, you need to give me more to go on than that. I will need a full explanation when I report your failures to our Master.”

“Yes Lord Tyranus, I apologize,” the Sith said, and Dooku noticed he at least had the decency to look a tad chagrined. “I had backed him into a corner, disarmed him, and brought him to one knee as I said before, but before I could deliver the killing blow I felt something. It almost felt like…like a bond, like something between the two of us.”

“A bond?” Dooku asked incredulously. “And how could a bond possibly have formed between the two of you. This was your first time meeting him, yes?”

“Honestly, Lord Tyranus,” the Sith began hesitantly, “it was not our first meeting.”

“What? When would you have had opportunity to meet each other before now?”

“It was long ago. I was still a child the first time we crossed paths. It was not under the most pleasant circumstances.”

“And why have you neglected to tell me of this until now?” Dooku demanded.

“I apologize, Lord Tyranus, but I did not think it important; it happened so long ago. And truth be told I had forgotten about it entirely; it was only seeing him that brought the memory back.”

“Well clearly it was somewhat important as there appears to be something between the two of you. But no matter, we will discuss your earlier meeting and your…convenient amnesia later. For now I want to hear more about this supposed bond you two may have.”

“I don’t know how to properly explain it and I can’t feel it now, but when I was with him before it felt like we were connected somehow, like there was a thread between the two of us. It felt like my Force signature somehow recognized his and knew he was somehow important.”

“Well, we shall have to look into this connection further. Perhaps it could even be useful to us. I do still hope that Qui-Gon might one day finally see the errors of the Jedi and join our cause for a better, less-corrupt galaxy and you may be the key to achieve that.

“I will inform Lord Sidious of the outcome of your mission as well as this development of your ‘bond,’” Dooku said, the last word dripping with skepticism. “Until then you will remain here and await further orders.”

“Yes, Lord Tyranus,” the Sith said with a bow.

Dooku turned, leaving the Sith so he could make his report. As he walked away he considered the implications of what a bond could mean and just how he could use it to his–and Sidius’s–advantage. It seemed there was much to consider.

 

Qui-Gon and Anakin stood before the Council, once again paired together for a mission being the dynamic duo they were.

“We have reports of Separatist activity on Felucia,” Ki-Adi said, filling in for Mace who for some reason was completely absent.

_Probably on a mission_ , Qui-Gon thought, although it was very unlike him to miss a Council meeting, even if it was just a mission briefing. Still, to not even attend via holo was very out of character if not a tad suspicious. Qui-Gon filed the concern away for later and turned his attention back to the briefing.

“Felucia? I thought we already took care of the Separatists there,” Anakin complained.

“Well, it appears they are back, though they have yet to mount a full scale invasion,” Ki-Adi replied.

“So what would you have us do?” Qui-Gon asked.

“For now we just need you to investigate the scale of their presence,” Adi replied. “See if they look to be preparing a full-scale invasion or if they’re just doing some reconnaissance for now. We’ve had several reports of Separatist ships in the area, too many for false sightings, so were sending you in to confirm those reports.

“With how thin we’re spread we can’t really spare an entire battalion until battle really becomes imminent. If we can gain some information beforehand we can at least get a sense what we might be facing and just how to prepare. Plus, if you find any presence on-planet we can know to send some out forces out there.”

“Leave tomorrow morning at 0800 you will,” Yoda said. “A transport you will take, just the two of you. If an invasion you sense then prepared to join you your troopers will be. And should it come to it, not too far away are Knight Secura’s forces.”

“Excellent, we will be prepared to leave then,” Qui-Gon said. “Is there anything else we need to know about this mission?”

“That should be all the pertinent information,” Adi replied. And with a strange emphasis on “pertinent,” Qui-Gon noticed.

“Good. Then before we leave, have you found any more information about the Sith Anakin and I encountered?”

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, so brief as to be almost unnoticeable but Qui-Gon recognized it all the same. The Council was definitely hiding something.

“No, nothing to report as of yet,” Ki-Adi responded, trying to fill the silence as quickly as possible. “We will let you know when we know anything further.”

“Alright,” Qui-Gon said, still not relinquishing his suspicions. “Though I expect to be appraised of any and all further information that might come to light.”

“Of course, Master Jinn,” Ki-Adi replied.

“Very well. Then if that is all we will take our leave now.” Qui-Gon bowed and headed toward the doors.

“Thank you, Masters,” Anakin said with a bow of his own, remembering to do so last minute.

As the doors closed Plo leveled what was surely a glare at the assembled Masters.

“I still don’t like that we’re keeping him in the dark,” he said. “What if our suspicions are correct? He needs to know so he can properly handle the threat this Sith presents.”

“His possible connection to the Sith is exactly why we can’t tell him,” Oppo argued. “If it were any other Master I would not be so concerned but Qui-Gon has a tendency to go rogue in the name of ‘following the will of the Force’ as he puts it. I can easily see him using this excuse and any possible guilt he has failed to release to justify not eliminating a clear Sith threat.”

“But would continuing to withhold what we know, or at least suspect, not build resentment and distrust? And what if the Sith appears on Felucia? He would be going in nearly blind.”

“It is highly unlikely he will encounter the Sith there,” Shaak Ti put in. “With the minimal Separatist presence, almost none of which is on the ground, there is no reason for him to appear. Also, last we heard from Mace, all signs pointed to the Sith heading towards Bothawui, nowhere near Felucia. I think we are safe for now.”

“Tell him we will when time it is,” Yoda said, giving the final word. “First confirm this Sith’s identity we must, then plan how to approach him we will.”

“Very well,” Plo acquiesced, “but I still can’t say I entirely approve.”

“Your approval isn’t needed.” Remarked Oppo. “The Council has decided.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a little shorter than I'd hoped but I wanted to keep the whole next part together.
> 
> Come say hi on tumblr @aphorisnt


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short mission and a chance encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still so shocked that anyone is even reading this, much less leaving kudos and comments. You guys are the actual best and I super appreciate the encouragement!!
> 
> I'm my own beta so all mistakes are my own (and knowing me there's probably a few) so if you notice anything feel free to point it out.
> 
> Thanks for reading, you folks are awesome, and as always kudos and comments are hella appreciated!!

Felucia was a hot and humid world, a steaming jungle planet populated by all manner of dangerous flora and fauna: rancors and acklays roamed the jungles freely; spike plants littered the forest floor, ready to impale an unwary passerby, and a sarlacc could easily swallow one up. Additionally, the planet was irradiated by intense ultraviolet light, sometimes raising the temperature to near unbearable heights.

Yet Qui-Gon loved Felucia. Every inch of the planet hummed with the living Force and he felt connected to all the life he could sense. For all the dangers the world presented, Qui-Gon still found Felucia beautiful, especially when the sun hit just right and the forest seemed to glitter and shine like multicolored glass.

Anakin appreciated the heat–years on Tatooine had gotten him used to warm temperatures and he still sometimes found Coruscant a little cold. He was not, however, a fan of the humidity or the fact that so much of the planet had seemingly evolved for the express purpose of murdering anyone who set foot on it.

“I can’t understand why you like this place so much,” Anakin complained as he wiped the sweat from his brow for the umpteenth time and brought his speeder bike in for a stop. “This humidity is gonna kill me faster than whatever predator happens to find us next.”

The two had already dispatched a rather aggressive wild rancor that had charged them not even a full thirty minutes after setting foot on the planet.

“Because everything feels so alive here,” Qui-Gon replied, coming to a stop beside him. “Stretch out with your senses, feel how the Force hums through the very air and soil, the interconnectedness of all the life here.”

“The only thing I _feel_ is the sweat dripping from every inch of me,” Anakin replied.

“Come now, Padawan mine, I raised you to have a better appreciation for the living Force than that.”

“And I’m sure I would appreciate it more if we were on a world that was less determined to try and kill us.

“Anyway,” Anakin said, changing the subject, “let’s focus on the mission–the sooner we get that done the sooner we can leave. We didn’t see any Sep ships in orbit and the orbital scans didn’t pick up anything besides a few local settlements, but that doesn’t mean those sleemos aren’t here on the ground. I was thinking first things we check around those bases we took out last time, see of they’re back in business.”

“Good idea. Then if we find no sign of any activity we can move on to scan other likely areas of the planet for any signs. We could maybe start by canvassing a few of the settlements to see if anyone there has seen anything.”

“Sounds good. Should we split up to cover more ground? Each take a few bases then meet back up to check with the locals? There’s four total so we could split them evenly.”

“I think that would be best,” Qui-Gon agreed. “That way we can expedite the process. I’ll take the two out to the west if you’ll take those to the east.”

“Works for me.”

“Good. Keep your comlink handy in case one of us finds something.”

“Will do. See you in a few hours,” Anakin said with a smile. He kicked his speeder bike into gear and headed off at a speed much higher than necessary to Qui-Gon’s amusement. 

The Master shook his head; for all that Anakin had grown up some things would never change. Qui-Gob brought his speeder bike around and began the journey in the opposite direction.

 

The two bases were only kilometers apart, the close proximity making it easier for the Separatists to amass their forces, especially since one was more of an outpost–the very same one where he and Anakin had joined Plo Koon in ousting the CIS presence the first time–than a fully functional base.

Qui-Gon inspected the outpost first and found it much the same way they had left it months before: absolutely deserted and devoid of any droid presence save the dismembered limbs of their battle, covered in scorch marks from blaster fire, and left in complete disrepair on the inside. He has expected as much after the Separatists’ sound defeat, but he supposed it never hurt to be thorough.

He checked throughout all the buildings surrounding the compound and found the remains of weapons caches, a few rooms full of data terminals, and a repair center for the droids. As far as he could see or sense with the Force the inside was just as deserted as the outside. With no sign of any activity, he brought his speeder bike around to head to base number two.

He may not have driven as fast as Anakin–Qui-Gon valued his bodily integrity–but it didn’t take him long to travel the kilometers to the next base. And fortunately he managed to avoid running into any less than friendly creatures along the way.

This base had not seen the same pitched battle–the forces had evacuated after the outpost’s fall–and thus had faced far less destruction, but nonetheless appeared just as abandoned.

He first inspected the outer walls, checking for any defenses still up and functioning–the last thing he wanted was to be surprised by a sudden blast from a laser canon–, but found none. He then made his way inside the compound.

The yard outside the facility itself was not quite empty, still littered with leftover matériel the rushed evacuation hadn’t had time to pack into their ships. He gave the yard a cursory glance for more automated defenses but found nothing more than a few defunct laser cannons mounted to the walls, slightly rusted from where the humidity had gotten to them. Just to be sure he stretched out his senses but could sense no danger or warnings from the Force, so he walked to the door of the facility proper.

Hacking through the keypad took almost no time at all thanks to both the lowered defenses and the fact that the base used a similar encryption to that of the outpost. The door slid open and he stepped inside, footsteps echoing off the empty hallway’s duracrete floor. He stretched out with his senses again on the off chance he had missed something before, and there, just for a moment, he thought he felt the flicker of something (or someone), but it quickly faded. _Probably just an animal nearby_ , he thought to himself, putting the feeling out of his mind.

The first room held a line of data terminals, all covered by a thin layer of dust. He tried to turn one on to see if he could extract any data but all appeared to be dead. Further investigation revealed that someone had destroyed the main control consul with several blaster shots taking care to ensure that every data disk and memory chip had been reduced to ashes. The comm station was fried as well. There was no getting any data out of that either.

The next room appeared to be a research lab of some sort. All the data and ongoing projects seemed to have been evacuated along with the Separatist forces, as Qui-Gon could find no sign of either, and all that was left behind was some lab equipment. Hd had taken the requisite science and engineering classes years ago as a Padawan, but that was so long ago that he could only ascertain the basics of which tools did what. He would have to ask the Council to send someone more qualified who could deduce just what the Separatists had been working on.

He passed several storage rooms and closets, all empty save for a few crates of cleaning supplies and repair tools, and a few large, mostly empty spaces that most likely served as conference rooms. There were a few smaller rooms that appeared to be offices but these two lacked any information. Though they had left a not insignificant amount of matériel outside, they appeared to have done a much more thorough job of emptying the inside of the facility. The last place he approached appeared to have been living quarters for any Separatist personnel stationed at the base. The rooms were bare except for sparse furnishings and not so much as a piece of clothing had been left behind. It seemed there was nothing for him to find.

Qui-Gon was about to end his search and report his lack of any findings to Anakin when he felt it again. There, in the Force: the tiny flicker of a presence but heavily shielded.

He was not alone.

The strong shielding abilities pointed to a well-trained Force user and he knew for a fact no other Jedi were present. Some of the native Felucians did possess an innate Force sensitivity but there were no settlements anywhere near the base. Also, it was doubtful any of the natives would be able to shield so strongly since they had never received any formal training to the same degree of those in the Order…or the Sith.

Qui-Gon felt his stomach drop. He could come up with no other explanation; the Sith was here.

He heard the sound of booted footsteps echoing behind him and he realized he was trapped at the dead end of a long inner hallway. He considered ducking into one of the rooms and trying to hide long enough to comm Anakin, but knew it was pointless. He hadn’t been shielding too strongly so the Sith likely already knew he was there. He reached to the Force for serenity, trying to calm himself to prepare what would likely be a battle. He considered trying to reach Anakin along their bond but given the distance it was unlikely he would be able to communicate much of anything.

He called his lightsaber to his hand but didn’t ignite it yet. He wanted to wait, allow the Sith to make the first move and evaluate his tactics from there.

But just then, the Sith’s shields lifted and Qui-Gon felt a heady rush of the dark side flow towards him like a gust of wind. He knew that presence, had encountered it once before.

He steeled himself as the Sith turned the corner and came into view.

“Hello, Qui-Gon,” said a smooth Coruscanti voice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent waaaaaaaay to long on Wookieepedia looking up shit about Felucia and kind of went for a canon/legends hybrid. And then I traveled way down an endless rabbit hole of random Star Wars information for probably a good hour. I swear, that site sucks you in and doesn't want to let go!
> 
> Come scream about Star Wars and stuff with me on tumblr @aphorisnt


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long-awaited second encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on a ren faire costume and almost completely forgot to look back over this and post today lol. Fortunately I have yet to break my update schedule...which I probably shouldn't say and jinx myself on Friday the 13th of all days but welp...too late for that.
> 
> As usual, all mistakes are mine and I will love you forever for leaving comments and kudos!!

For all that he had tried to prepare himself, Qui-Gon still felt rooted to the spot; his body frozen and his mind unable to think of anything except the man standing at the end of the hall before him. The Sith stepped closer, gentle footsteps and calm demeanor belying his fierceness in battle, and as he came nearer Qui-Gon felt something snap into being. He felt something much stronger than the weak connection he had felt that first time, less a thread and more a durasteel cable.

A bond.

Qui-Gon’s breath caught in his throat as the bond, for clearly that’s what the connection between them was, flared to life with such an intensity that it very nearly staggered him. He reached for serenity, for even the slightest sense of calm to bring his racing heart and strangled breathing back under control, but he could do nothing but stare at the man before him.

“My, my,” the Sith said, his expression portraying nothing but wry amusement. “Isn’t this a surprise, to find each other here of all places. Well, maybe not so surprising,” he said with a widening smile that was all teeth. “Something told me we would be seeing each other again very soon after our last encounter though I can honestly say I did not expect ‘soon’ to be quite so quick.”

Qui-Gon still found himself unable to do anything but stare wide-eyed at the Sith. Any words he may have spoken died before they reached his lips. All his skills with language, the very thing that granted him such prowess as a negotiator, deserted him. And all because of one man.

“Surprised to see me as well?” the Sith asked. “What brings you here to Felucia, anyway? Surely you can’t be here just to enjoy the scenery.”

After a nearly uncomfortable moment of silence Qui-Gon finally began to remember how verbal communication worked. “I…” he trailed off, his mouth inexplicably dry. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I can’t say I was expecting you either.”

“I don’t doubt that,” the Sith said with a laugh. “But you still didn’t answer my question: why are you here?”

“That’s none of your business,” Qui-Gon retorted. “And I could ask you the same question.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” the Sith quipped, smile still having not left his face. “You must have seen the damage done to the consul station. I was simply sent here to clean up a mess.”

It suddenly made sense. What Qui-Gon had assumed to be blaster marks actually came form a lightsaber. He berated himself for not recognizing the scorched holes in the wiring for what they were.

“If you won’t share the purpose of your visit with me, that’s fine I suppose. It’s a tad rude but I think I can overlook it just this once.”

Qui-Gon still had not torn his eyes away from the Sith, and the longer he stared, the more he felt… _something_. Something niggled in the back of his mind, a tiny spark of familiarity. True he had already encountered the man once before, but this recognition went beyond that, went deeper, as if the two had met long ago.

“Why do I feel like I know you?” Qui-Gon asked before he could stop himself, voice barely above a whisper. He didn’t expect that he had been heard, much less that he would receive an answer, but the Sith continued to surprise him.

“Oh, so something finally jogged your memory, did it? I was wondering when you would finally recognize me, though I suppose it has been many years since our paths first crossed.”

“I still don’t understand,” Qui-Gon said, a note of desperation creeping into his voice. He was so confused and needed answers. “Why do I know you? When did our paths first cross? Who _are_ you?”

“I was hoping you would remember more on your own. Pity,” the Sith scoffed. “Though I suppose I should have expected no less from the man who threw me aside.”

“’Threw you aside?’ What are you talking about?”

“I suppose I didn’t matter enough to warrant a significant event in your memory. Do you remember what happened about two decades ago? When a certain green troll meddled far more than was good for him and tried to set you up with a Padawan?

“Do you remember a boy, nearly thirteen and desperate for someone, anyone, to become his Master and take him on as a Padawan? The boy who would’ve done anything to avoid being sent away to the AgriCorps? Who desperately needed someone to help make his one hope and dream, the only thing on life he ever wanted, to come true?

“Do you remember meeting that boy? Do you remember him begging you to give him a chance, to let him prove to you he could be a good and loyal Padawan? Do you remember when you irrevocably destroyed his hopes and dreams, turned them to ash with your simple rejection? Do you remember the day you broke that boy’s spirit for good? Do you even remember his name?”

Qui-Gon remained silent, words and breath both failing him again as memories long buried rushed to the surface. He remembered Xanatos, the boy who had been his pride and joy; the boy who fell, absolutely crushing Qui-Gon in the process. He had been a broken man, full of heartache and regret and guilt that would not abate. Logically he knew that Xanatos’s choices were his own, yet he couldn’t help but shoulder the blame completely; if he had been a better teacher, a better Master, paid more attention, done more maybe things would not have turned out so.

When his grandmaster had tried to convince him to take on another Padawan he had balked at the idea immediately. He was nowhere near healed and therefore in no condition to take on a new charge. Worse, he feared his influence would snuff out and destroy another bright light in the Force and, though he refused to admit it even to himself, he was afraid of losing another Padawan to the Dark. He just couldn’t face that loss again.

Rejecting the boy had been his best option and, after it happened, he had put the whole incident completely out of mind. Swamped by grief and still in high demand for missions, he had more pressing concerns to focus on.

Indeed, it was not until he found Anakin almost thirteen years later–and after much thought and personal healing–that he was finally able to move on. He still believed the boy to be the Chosen One of prophecy and knew he was meant to be a Jedi and, when the Council tried to reject him for being too old, he had defied them (again) and made himself the boy’s master anyway.

It was only then that he realized the similarities between the Sith and Anakin, their situations in the Order. Both had been rejected for being too old, in the Sith’s case because he aged out of the Initiate program and never found a Master. Creeping guilt began to steal upon Qui-Gon; he had fought so hard for one boy and yet hardly spared the other more than a glance.

The Sith interrupted his thoughts. “Because I remember all of it, every last second of pain and misery and abandonment. That very night I left to join the AgriCorps.

“Of course, I never got there. Pirates attacked the ship and I was taken prisoner, most likely to be sold into slavery. It was only by luck that I managed to escape, though of course after I found myself stranded on an unknown world.

“I was not even thirteen years old and I was left alone. I struggled for years to survive, always tired, hungry, fearful, and hopeless. Some days I even wished for death; it had to be better than the daily struggle I faced.

“That was when the Sith found me, saved me. He did what your Order never did: he cared for me. He took me in, fed and clothed me, trained me, made me an apprentice. That little boy you rejected has become stronger and more powerful than you can possibly imagine.”

Qui-Gon was speechless. He honestly had no idea what to say. If what the man said was true than he was responsible for the very Sith standing before him. He had tried to spare a child from the dark only to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. That creeping guilt suddenly crashed upon him in wave after wave, drowning him in shame for what he had done.

“Of course, even after all that,” the Sith said, drawing Qui-Gon out of his head once again, “it seems the Force is not yet done with us. It has led me back to you, back to where this all started. Surely you have felt it.”

“Yes,” Qui-Gon replied, “I have. But I don’t understand.”

The Sith laughed. “Can’t you tell, oh vaunted Jedi Master? The Council would be so disappointed in your lack of awareness; surely you must be more attuned to the Force than that.”

“It’s…it’s a bond,” Qui-Gon said, voice barely above a whisper as he finally put the truth he had realized to words and made it real. “But how is that possible?”

“What is it you Jedi are so fond of saying? ‘The Force works in mysterious ways?’ Well it seems the Force has conspired to bring us together again.”

“We’re bonded together,” Qui-Gon said, the full weight of it starting to sink in. He shared a bond with a Sith. “But what does it mean?”

“Oh I think you know what it means,” the Sith said with a knowing smirk.

Qui-Gon remained silent, still confused and, if he was being honest, a little fearful.

“No? Pity. Maybe I should leave you to figure it out on your own.”

“For Force sake, just tell me.” Notes of anger seeped into his voice in an attempt to smother the fear. He knew Yoda’s adage specifically taught against such behavior but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. “I need to–“

At that moment Qui-Gon’s comm sounded, the shrill beep piercing the air. Anakin. He had told his former Padawan to keep his comm handy just in case he found anything. As much as Qui-Gon wanted to ignore it for the sake of getting his answers there was the chance Anakin had stumbled upon the Separatists and was in danger.

He turned from the Sith to answer his comm.

“Anakin?” he asked. “Are you all right? Have you found something?”

“No, Master, I was just checking in to let you know I finished scouting the bases. No sign of anything here. And I’m guessing that, since you don’t sound like you’re getting shot at or anything, you didn’t find anything either. I guess the intel was wrong.”

“No, Anakin, I found–“ He turned back around but the Sith was gone. “I found nothing either.

“Let’s meet back up at the landing site and make a plan for surveying the rest of the planet.”

“Ok, Master,” Anakin said, a note of suspicion creeping into his voice. “Is everything ok?”

“Perfectly fine. I’ll see you back at the landing site in a few.”

Qui-Gon clicked off his comm. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t told Anakin about the Sith. In his mind he knew he should; it could be important and his former Padawan deserved to know. Yet for some reason, something told him to keep the encounter to himself, to wait to tell what he had seen. Without too much thought in the moment he had followed that instinct. _I will tell him soon_ , he resolved. Once I know more.

 

The rest of the mission was largely uneventful. He and Anakin canvassed a few settlements, checking in with both the small farming communities and the native Felucians, but no one had anything of note to report.

Using their ship the scanned the planet from atmosphere one last time and looked for any signs of concentrated activity. Their scans turned up nothing at all.

Qui-Gon made a quick comm call to the Council, reporting their findings( or lack thereof), and he and Anakin were ordered to return to the Temple. Qui-Gon remained silent for the majority of the journey. He claimed fatigue and, although Anakin looked at him questioningly, the Knight didn’t press the issue. For nearly every hour of the return trip Qui-Gon thought of the Sith. _I knew him_ , he thought. _I_ knew _him. I_ created _him_. Their encounter dominated his thoughts and, even after arriving back at the Temple, he still could think of nothing else.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some research and a much-needed "discussion"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm uploading a bit later today than normal but I'm still keeping on my weekly schedule because I know as soon as I let myself deviate I'll slack off and it could be months before I update and I don't wanna do that to you guys.
> 
> I'm still my own beta so mistakes are mine and any comments and/or kudos would be lovely!!

Although he knew he should technically have gone straight to the Council upon arriving and deliver the full version of his report, Qui-Gon chose to eschew that duty in favor of something far more pressing and important. Instead, he made his way to the archives. He took care to sidestep Jocasta Nu, lest she report his location to the Councilors, and stationed himself at a data terminal in one of the back corners. He made himself comfortable and settled in for what would likely be a long search.

He dove deep into the Temple records, looking through the history of which Initiates had aged out. He was able to narrow down the list first to a few years since the Sith had mentioned their last meeting occurring over twenty years before, and then even further as he knew he was searching for a human male. After that he had to comb through each file one by one until he found who he was looking for.

He must have looked through some fifty files before he finally found one that looked promising. Obi-Wan Kenobi, human male, born 22:3 BrS on Stewjon, aged out and sent to the Agricultural Corps on Bandomeer in 9:3 BrS. A holo of a young boy with fiery red hair, blue-green eyes, and dimples stared up at him from the screen. Qui-Gon felt the Force niggle in the back of his mind; this file was important.

He kept reading the file. The boy had done well in all his classes at the Temple, receiving top marks in some of them. There was mention, however, of habitual conflicts with another Initiate. Apparently he and a boy named Bruck Chun often fought, sometimes to the point of violence. There were reports from his teachers and crèche masters explaining that while he was a bright child and still anchored in the light, he tended to struggle with his emotions, especially anger. One of the crèche masters also made a note that the boy struggled with prescience, at one point suffering nightly visions. That led to further emotional struggles, particularly the fear of some of his more unpleasant visions coming to pass.

Finally, at the bottom of the file, there was a small, one sentence note: “Sent to AgriCorps but never arrived, refused position.”

Refused? How did they know Kenobi had refused the position if he never arrived? Did the Council just assume that, because the boy had never shown up, he had freely chosen a different path without taking so much as a moment to confirm if that was truly the case? Because it certainly seemed that way. There was certainly no record of anyone having actually _talked_ to Kenobi about what the boy might want of his future.

Qui-Gon decided to cross-reference Kenobi’s departure with what the Sith had said about his transport getting attacked. There was no record of the exactly when the boy had departed or what ship he might have taken, but there was a short data entry about a transport that had disappeared without a trace around the same period. However, try as he might, Qui-Gon could find no record of any mission looking into the ship’s disappearance of the fate of the passengers. It seemed the Order had ignored the incident entirely.

Qui-Gon was furious. Here was a young boy, not even yet a teenager, who had put his faith in the Jedi only to be abandoned. No one had investigated why he hadn’t arrived on Bandomeer or even bothered to look into the captured ship. How many people–including Obi-Wan–had suffered because of the Jedi’s negligence?

Beneath that anger, though, his guilt and shame resurfaced in full force. He had been the one to reject the boy, he was responsible for sending Obi-Wan to the AgriCorps, it was his fault Obi-Wan had been captured and very nearly enslaved. He was responsible for all the suffering that boy had endured.

Qui-Gon felt sick to his stomach. If he had only managed to pull himself together, found a way to move on from his fear and pain, he could’ve taken Obi-Wan as a student and spared the boy all he went through. Instead, he had chosen to wallow, to let his emotions control him, and he was a Jedi Master for Force sake! He should’ve been able to do better. Instead he had not only failed Obi-Wan, but failed as a Jedi and as a man. He hadn’t felt this ashamed of himself since Xanatos’s Fall.

Still, anger won out over shame. He closed out of the file and stood to make his way out of the archives. It was time he had some words with the Council.

 

Qui-Gon pushed past the guards and burst into the Council chambers, interrupting a meeting in progress.

“Ah, Qui-Gon, nice of you to finally grace us with your presence,” a returned Mace Windu said, voice dripping with disdain. “Have you finally come to report back on your mission?”

“Forget the mission report,” Qui-Gon replied anxiously. “We have greater concerns. I know the identity of the Sith: Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was an Initiate here at the Temple but aged out just over twenty years ago. He’s the new Sith Lord”

“Know this for sure you do, hmmm?” Yoda asked.

“I can say with utmost confidence that I do. I looked at his file and everything matches up with the story he gave and–“

“He spoke to you?” Adi interjected.

“Yes,” Qui-Gon nearly growled, voice laden with exasperation. “But that’s not important right now. What is important…”

Qui-Gon trailed off, finally picked up on the emotions in the room: confusion, upset and…guilt? He looked at the councilors one by one and suddenly noticed a few of them shifting uncomfortably in their seats.

“You knew,” he whispered, mostly to himself, and then louder, almost shouting, “You knew! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Well, we couldn’t be entirely sure of his identity,” Oppo began. “So we–“

“Not sure of his identity? Then why do I sense so much guilt in this room?” Qui-Gon demanded.

“As Master Rancisis tried to say,” Mace said, ignoring the question entirely, “since we couldn’t confirm the Sith’s identity I went alone to search for more evidence. Furthermore, I fail to see why you seem to believe we owed you that _unconfirmed_ information. You do not sit on this Council and your single encounter with this man does not entitle you to any and all knowledge concerning him.”

“So those are the only reasons, then?” Qui-Gon asked, disbelievingly. “You didn’t know for sure and didn’t think I was ‘worthy’ of knowing? Or does it have something to do with the fact that I personally rejected Kenobi as my Padawan right before he left the Temple?”

The silence throughout the Council chambers spoke louder than any words possibly could.

“So that’s it then. You didn’t tell me because I have a connection to him. Did you not trust me; is that it? Did you think the fact that I knew him would somehow keep me from trying to stop him? He’s still a Sith, Mace. I wouldn’t just let him go.”

“We couldn’t trust that your prior connection would not in some way compromise you,” Mace replied calmly. “We all saw how you reacted to Xanatos’s Fall, how you blamed yourself for everything _he_ did. Can you really blame us for worrying you might behave in the same way regarding Kenobi’s own Fall?”

“How dare you assume you know my mind,” Qui-Gon roared, barely keeping his anger under control. “You do not know my thoughts, you cannot predict my actions, you had no right to make such assumptions.”

“Qui-Gon,” Mace soothed gently as if talking to a child, “you don’t understand. A shatterpoint surrounds this Sith, I can sense it.”

“What does my knowing about him have to do with that?” Qui-Gon growled.

“Honestly, I don’t know yet, but–“

“You don’t know? Then how is that enough basis to decide?”

“ _But_ ,” Mace continued, “I believe this shatterpoint has to do with both of you. He may be the shatterpoint itself but I can sense the fault lines in the Force around you too. We all decided it was best to wait for greater understanding, both through further investigation and through communion with the Force, before we chose to act.”

Qui-Gon fumed. There was more he wanted to say–that he didn’t care for Mace’s shatterpoints, that as a Jedi Master and the one who had first come into contact with Kenobi he deserved to know all he could–but he could feel his control slipping and tried to regain some modicum of serenity.

“Enough arguing this is,” Yoda broke in. “Already happened these events have so worth further discussion now they are not.”

“I apologize, Master,” Qui-Gon said with a bow, more calm than before.

“What we thought best the Council chose to do. Meant as a slight against you it was not.

“Twice now you have encountered the Sith, you and no one else. Concerning this is. Ask we do that on Coruscant you remain, until decide what to do next the Council does.”

“What!?” Qui-Gon asked incredulously, calm vanished. “With all due respect, Master Yoda, you can’t be serious. We are in the midst of a war and stretched impossibly thin as it is. We can’t afford to keep able generals off the front lines. You need me out there.”

“And to the front you will return when a decision we reach,” Yoda chided. “Spare you for a short while we can. A reason there is that show himself only to you the Sith has. The key to his defeat you may be. Plan how to best use this advantage, we must.”

Qui-Gon took a deep, cleansing breath, briefly reaching out to the Force to quiet his mind.

“Fine,” he acquiesced. “I’ll stay on Corsuscant for now. But _only_ if you agree to share any and all information regarding Kenobi from this point forward. Do we have an understanding?”

“Fine,” Mace agreed, albeit begrudgingly.

“Good,” Qui-Gon said. “I’m glad we could come to an agreement.” There was nothing more to be said.

“Masters,” he said, sketching a bow.

Without waiting for a dismissal he turned on his heel and stalked out of the chambers, still radiating displeasure. When the door shut behind him it suddenly occurred to him that he had failed to mention the beginnings of a bond between himself and Kenobi. _Let them find out later_ , he thought with a certain amount of vindictiveness. _After all, I can’t be sure what this possible bond is and they seem to only like certainty_.

He continued on his way, wondering how he would handle is prescribed stay on-world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why but it's really fun to write Qui-Gon yelling at the Council. I still wish we could've seen a few more of the screaming matches you know they got into in canon.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qui-Gon "enjoys" his extended stay on Coruscant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is two days late!! I got sick and was kind of useless as far as writing (or anything besides sleeping and puking) went so I only just now got around to posting. But it's here now so all is well.
> 
> Also, holy kudos, Batman!!! I cannot believe I've broken 100 kudos on this thing. Hell, I'm shocked I even broke 50. All you guys are just so awesome and I am so thankful for all the love and support you've shown, it really does mean a lot. I'm not lying when I say I cherish every kudo and comment you folks leave.
> 
> Still my own beta so mistakes are mine.

Only three week into his forced stay on planet and Qui-Gon was starting to lose his mind.

He visited the crèche and spent time looking after the younglings, something he had only found it in himself to enjoy again after taking Anakin as his Padawan. He worked through katas and sparred with nearly every available Master and some Knights to try and dispel some of his pent up energy. He researched Force bonds in the archives in hopes of finding some more answers. He busied himself with whatever paperwork related to the war effort needed his attention and finally caught up on his backlog of reports. He went to the gardens three times a day–sunrise, mid-afternoon, and sunset–to meditate and connect with the living Force.

No matter what he did it wasn’t enough to provide adequate distraction or completely quiet his mind.

Part of the problem was that he was no longer used to Temple living. Even as a Padawan he had spent much of his time on missions in the outer rim and the far reaches of the galaxy, working with his Master to solve various conflicts. Since his knighting he had never spent more than a handful of days at the Temple except during an extended convalescence or when he had a Padawan that needed to stay for classes and in-Temple training (and dealing with a Padawan had certainly provided more than enough tasks to fill his hours).

The other half of the problem, however, was the Sith. Obi-Wan Kenobi. No matter how hard Qui-Gon tried he just couldn’t get the man out of his head. There was something about him, something all too intriguing, that kept his thoughts occupied.

What was more, he still didn’t understand the bond between them. He was sure it had never existed before; he would’ve felt that connection if only due to his affinity for the living Force. It seemed impossible that something like that could have grown during their single chance encounter, unnoticed by either of them, and then lain dormant for over two decades. Qui-Gon wasn’t even sure what kind of bond it was as his research had been less than fruitful thus far.

It felt like gossamer-thin threads stretching between them, connecting their very Force presences. However, those threads felt strong, almost unbreakably so. He still remembered how the bond had flared to life the last time he had come face-to-face with the Sith, a nearly tangible link between them.

Qui-Gon shook himself, trying to clear his mind as he sat on the couch in his quarters. There was nothing to be gained from pondering the Sith, at least not now while he was stuck on Coruscant. Any answers he sought would have to wait until the Council released him from his temporary confinement.

He shook himself again as if the action would dispel any last lingering thoughts. It was no use sitting in his dim quarters alone with his thoughts; he needed a distraction. Since none of the activities available to him in-Temple seemed to suffice, he decided to instead journey out into the city.

 

“So, you’ve finally decided I was worth visiting. All these years I’ve known you and not even a ‘hello’ in stars know how long.”

“Good to see you too, Dex.”

Qui-Gon leaned against the counter, elbows planted on the less-than-clean surface, and smiled at Dex’s mock affront. He had decided to take the opportunity to visit with his old friend, especially since he now had the time as he wasn’t running around the entirety of the Outer Rim. _Maybe there is a slight advantage to being stuck here_ , he mused.

“How’s it been at the front?” Dex asked, coming around the counter and clapping Qui-Gon on the shoulder with one of his four hands before making a token effort to wipe up a spot of grime. “I’ve seen you and that Padawan of yours all over the Holonet lately.”

“Well he’s my former Padawan now.”

“Right, right, I keep forgetting how grown he is. I still remember the first time you brought him in here; I’ve never seen anyone inhale so much food that fast.”

Qui-Gon laughed at the memory. Anakin had only joined the Order a few weeks prior and Qui-Gon thought it would be nice for him to get out of the Temple for a little while and actually see some of the planet he would be living on. Plus, the boy was still having trouble putting weight on, so greasy diner food. That nerf steak and plate of fried tubers had disappeared before Qui-Gon was even half-finished with his own meal.

“We’ve been doing well,” Qui-Gon answered. “Or at least about as well as one can expect out in the war.”

“Well it’s good to see you in one piece.” With that, Dex reached out and pulled Qui-Gon into a crushing four-armed hug, then slapped the Jedi Master on the back so hard it was all he could do to stay upright.

“Well, let’s get some food in you.”

He led Qui-Gon past other diners over to a booth towards the back where he wouldn’t be disturbed.

“Let me guess, you want a bantha burger and some Jawa Juice.”

“Am I becoming that predictable?” he asked with a smile.

“Hey, I always remember the orders of my favorite customers. I’ll have yours out in just a bit.”

Qui-Gon stared out the window next to his booth. No matter what he did he couldn’t seem to get his mind off of Obi-Wan, especially now that he had a name for the man instead of just referring to him as “The Sith.” Guilt was still inescapable, but his mind also wandered to the man himself: who was he? Or rather, who had he become? He mentioned a Sith Lord finding him, but how did he actually become a Sith himself? And for that matter, who was his Master?

Qui-Gon also couldn’t help but wonder why he was the only one who had actually come into contact with the man. Even Anakin, who had been nearby both times, hadn’t actually _seen_ Obi-Wan, he only had second-hand information from Qui-Gon. If Obi-Wan was a Sith Lord and connected to the Separatists, why had he only surfaced just now?

“One bantha burger and a jawa juice,” Dex said, interrupting his thoughts.

Qui-Gon nearly jumped in his seat; he had been so focused he hadn’t even noticed Dex’s arrival.

“Thank you,” he said, taking the offered plate glass.

“Are you ok? You seem kinda distracted and look like you got something on your mind.”

“It’s nothing,” Qui-Gon demurred, “just Jedi stuff.”

“It doesn’t look like ‘just Jedi stuff,’” he pressed. “Come on, you can tell an old friend your worries.”

“I promise it’s nothing. Thank you for the food.”

“All right, fine, don’t tell me. But if you decide you feel like sharing you know where to find me.”

“I appreciate it,” Qui-Gon said with a weak smile. Then, something suddenly occurred to him.

“Hey, Dex, can I ask you about something? Or rather, someone that I’m looking for. Maybe one of your contacts has some information him.”

“Sure. Who is he?”

“He’s a human. Pale skin, red hair, average height, athletic build. He’s also a Sith Lord so he’ll have golden eyes and probably be wearing all black, and–“

“Wait,” Dex interrupted, holding up two of his hands. “He’s a Sith Lord? You want _me_ to find _you_ , the Jedi Master, a Sith Lord?” Dex leveled him an incredulous expression.

“Well, yes,” Qui-Gon answered a bit sheepishly. “But this wouldn’t be the first time you’ve helped out the Jedi and I know you have contacts all over the galaxy. I would appreciate anything you can do to help me find out more about him or just fond him in general; even the smallest bit of information could be useful.”

“I’ll see what I can do. This Sith got a name?”

“I don’t know what aliases he might go by, but he uses the title ‘Darth Descarado’ and his real name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I saw him last on Felucia but I don’t know where he went afterwards.”

“Alright. I’ll ask around but I can’t make any promises.”

“Thank you, Dex,” Qui-Gon said with a smile. “I owe you for this.”

“You owe me for a hell of a lot more than just this, Qui-Gon Jinn,” he teased.

“How about Anakin and I come and visit more often. Would that make it up to you?”

“Well, it’s a start. Enjoy the food and I’ll get back to you when I find something.”

With that, Dex lumbered back to the kitchen, leaving Qui-Gon to the solitude of his booth and his burger. He tucked into the food, doing his best to think of anything but Obi-Wan and failing miserably. That bond they had especially still troubled him and even though he was looking for the man he had no idea what he would do when he eventually found him. And he had no idea how Obi-Wan would react to their next encounter.

He finished his burger and stood to leave, tossing a few credits on the table–Dex insisted he didn’t have to pay but Qui-Gon always did anyway. After all, his friend deserved it. He weaved around other patrons to the front door and stepped outside into the Coruscant evening..

He was about to hail an air taxi and head back to the Temple, but something stopped him. A gentle prodding from the Force told him not to return home just yet. He closed his eyes and reached out, feeling for the currents in the Living Force to figure out what to do next.

He felt something pulling him forward, still to grab an air taxi, but he felt the urge to head to the lower levels instead. Something told him he needed visit the lower levels, that there was something important he needed to do or find there.

He stepped up to the platform and hailed the taxi.

“Where you headed?” the Rodian driver asked.

Qui-Gon closed his eyes for a minute, considering. He opened them again, feeling a sense of certainty in the Force.

“Take me to level 1313.”

 

The glowing sign above the bar read “The Drunken Ghoul,” probably in reference to the blind canine mutants that roamed some of the darker corners of the undercity. The bar wasn’t the sort of place Qui-Gon would usually frequent except when looking for information during a mission and he felt rather out of place in his Jedi robes. Fortunately, though some patrons glared at him from their booths and tables, the majority paid him no mind.

He had no idea why the Force would lead him to this place, but it had sung with a sense of rightness as soon as he passed the door.

With nothing better to do at the moment, Qui-Gon approached the bar and ordered a drink.

“What are you drinking?” the Devaronian bartender asked.

“I’ll take a Dodbri whiskey, neat,” Qui-Gon replied.

He didn’t want to order anything too expensive or strange as to draw attention to him self, so he picked a drink that was as strong as it was cheap. The bartender pulled out a not quite clean glass and poured in the amber colored liquor.

“Thanks,” Qui-Gon said, picking up the drink and tossing some credits on the counter in payment. He then made his way toward the rear of the room, intent on finding an empty booth from which to observe. He still couldn’t figure out why the Force had led him here so he decided he would settle in and wait until the answer revealed itself.

That, of course, was the moment when the Force chose to do just that and he found the answer in a rather handsome, refined-looking, and athletic ginger-haired man. The man seemed to feel eyes on him and turned around, a wide grin stretching across his face.

“Hello, Qui-Gon.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter this week but I've already written next week's and I promise it's longer. After next week though updates my start to be a little more sporadic because a) I'm doing the 20 Days of Obikin Challenge and that's taking up some time, and b) I'm almost to the end of my buffer and haven't really been able to figure out what to write next. Writers' block sucks, guys.
> 
> As always, mistakes are mine and kudos and comments are love!!

Qui-Gon’s breath caught in his chest. He had just asked Dex to look into Obi-Wan’s whereabouts only to run into none other than that very man, and in a Coruscant bar, no less. He had a million questions– _Where have you been? Why are you here? Why am I the only one you approach? Why didn’t you tell me who you were? What is this bond between us?_ –but only one word made it past his lips, spoken so softly as if it were a whisper.

“Obi-Wan.”

The man looked startled for a moment, his eyes widening in shock, before the smile returned.

“So, I take it you’ve figured out who I am.” It was a statement, not a question.

Qui-Gon was still reeling and still couldn’t quite form words; he just nodded.

Obi-Wan was here. A Sith was here. On Coruscant. Mere levels below the Jedi Temple itself. A Sith was here and not a single member of the Order had the slightest idea. Just how much had the darkside clouded their vision that they couldn’t sense a major threat so close to home?

“So much for Jedi serenity,” Obi-Wan laughed.

That seemed to break Qui-Gon out of his stupor and the Jedi Master came back to the reality of the situation.

“I am just surprised to see you here,” he said, trying to recover a bit of dignity. “I did not see you as someone to frequent the core worlds, much less Coruscant.”

“You’ll find I go where I please.”

Qui-Gon didn’t even have time to consider the implications of those words before Obi-Wan spoke again.

“Well don’t just stand there. Sit down; share a drink with me.”

Clueless as to how else to handle the situation, Qui-Gon numbly obliged and slid into the booth across from Obi-Wan.

He was going to share a drink with a Sith Lord.

“Better,” Obi-Wan continued. “Now, I believe we are in need of a talk, wouldn’t you say? You seem to have found out my identity, and only in a matter of weeks, too. I’m impressed.”

Qui-Gon could only tell him the truth. “It wasn’t overly difficult; I was able to find your personnel file in the archives and gleaned what information I could from that.”

“And just what did you glean?”

He took a breath. “Your name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. You are thirty-seven years old. You were born on Stewjon and brought to the Temple when you were a year old and joined the crèche, Thranta Clan, I believe.”

“So far, so good. What else?”

“I know when you were an Initiate you used to get into fights with another youngling, Bruck Chun. There were many notes about the reprimands you received and one stated that you were almost dismissed from the Temple on the spot because you injured the other boy.”

“Now that’s just not true,” Obi-Wan interrupted. “I may have injured him, but he attacked me first. I only gave him what he deserved. And don’t tell me about how ‘revenge is not the Jedi way’ or some other trite bantha fodder; I am beyond such maxims.

“Anyway, continue.”

“I know you aged out and were sent to the AgriCorps but never arrived…and I know it’s my fault you aged out.” Qui-Gon hung his head. “And my fault you Fell and have become as you are.”

Qui-Gon felt guilt overwhelm him again; he couldn’t help but hold himself responsible for Obi-Wan’s fate. Had he chosen differently, had he gotten himself together and not been such a broken mess of a man, he could have taken the man before him as an apprentice, could have protected him from such a fate, could have saved him. Everything was his fault and he would have to live with the consequences.

“I don’t want your apologies,” Obi-Wan sneered. “The time for such things has long since passed and they are meaningless to me now.

“Besides, while you may be somewhat responsible for my getting kicked out of the Order, becoming a Sith was my decision. I have become as strong and powerful as I am through my own hard work and the guidance of my Master. You don’t get to take credit for any of it; you don’t deserve to.”

“You can’t just absolve me of my actions,” Qui-Gon argued.

“I’m not and I won’t. It’s not my job to provide you with absolution or forgiveness. I’m just saying that, regardless of any role you may have played in my past, I have gotten where I am on my own merits.”

Qui-Gon didn’t know how to respond to that. He didn’t know how to make Obi-Wan understand that he had destroyed him and forced him to the Darkside.

“Enough with the wallowing in guilt and self-pity,” Obi-Wan broke into his thoughts. “The sentiments are making me sick and we have more important business to discuss.

“You wanted to know about our bond, yes?” He raised an eyebrow and wore an expectant almost smile.

“Yes,” Qui-Gon answered honestly.

“Well, I think I might have the answers you are searching for.” This time he smiled for real, like the Loth cat that caught the canary.

“I assume you know something that I do not,” Qui-Gon rejoined.

“I may.” The grin grew even wider.

“Well then, please, feel free to share.”

“Hmm…no I don’t think I will,” he said with a wink.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I thought I told you to stop apologizing, and I said ‘no I don’t think I will.’ I trust I won’t have to repeat myself a third time.”

Frustration replaced guilt as Qui-Gon leveled a stern look at the ginger-haired man. “And why not?” he asked.

“I don’t mean I won’t _ever_ tell you; I simply mean that I won’t tell you _now_. It simply…isn’t the right time.”

“Oh really,” Qui-Gon rejoined caustically. “And just when, may I ask, would be the right time?”

“I would say about four days, give or take a few hours, if I’m estimating the journey correctly.”

“Journey?” Qui-Gon asked, confusion plain across his face. “What journey?”

“ _Our_ journey,” Obi-Wan replied, as if it were the simplest question in the world. “You will be joining me on a sojourn to a world where we may hold this conversation with more, shall we say, privacy.”

“And just which world is this?”

“You don’t need to worry yourself about that,” Obi-Wan answered. “You will see when we arrive.”

“I’m not going to just drop everything to leave the planet and jet off with you to some unknown world.”

“You will if you want your answers,” Obi-Wan insisted.

“Why can’t you just tell me here?”

“I already told you, we need to have this conversation somewhere more private. Please do not keep asking me to repeat myself; it is getting rather annoying. Now, are you coming or not.”

Qui-Gon deliberated. His mind told him not to go anywhere with Obi-Wan. He may feel sorry for the man but Obi-Wan was still a Sith and Qui-Gon couldn’t possibly trust him. Yet he yearned for answers, to understand this _thing_ between them.

He closed his eyes and reached out into the Force, looking for answers in its currents and eddies. He breathed deeply, finding his center, and listened.

_Go_ , the Force whispered. _Seek the answers_.

Qui-Gon knew his path.

“All right, I’ll go with you. Lead the way.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaahhhh!! Sorry this is so late!! I've been sick (again) and also busy with a bunch of other stuff, namely those other fics and cosplays because A-Kon is coming up and I only decided to go last minute.
> 
> Speaking of which, this fic is gonna go on a brief hiatus while I get other shit done. It'll just be until mid-June and I promise I will come back to it!!! (I actually have a little done past this chapter but it's still totally unedited) Sorry to do this but I hope you guys will stick around for when I come back!!
> 
> My eternal gratitude to everyone who has left kudos and comments!! You guys are the actual best and I love each and every one of you!!

“Skywalker,” Anakin said into his chirping comm.

“Knight Skywalker, I am glad you answered.”

Anakin grimaced, wishing he had ignored the damn thing. As if a comm interruption wasn’t bad enough, the last thing he wanted was one from Mace Windu of all people. All he wanted to do was enjoy a peaceful afternoon with his wife on one of the rare occasions he was on Coruscant and she could get away from the senate, but apparently he couldn’t even have that.

“Is Qui-Gon with you?” Mace asked, and Anakin picked up on a note of worry in his voice.

“No, Master Windu,” he replied. “I haven’t really seen him since we got back from Felucia. Last I heard he had practically locked himself in the archives. I don’t know what he was looking for but it must have been something pretty important since he wouldn’t even answer his comm. Why do you ask?”

“The Council has not been able to get in touch with him for two days now. We summoned him to meet with us but we never received a response. We attempted to reach him via comm but there was no answer.”

“So?” Anakin said, trying his best not to sound too dismissive. “It’s Qui-Gon; he hasn’t exactly ever been one for heeding the council. He probably just got tied up with something.”

“That’s what we thought too, but no one has seen him anywhere in the Temple for the past three days. We checked the archives, the gardens, the training salles, and his quarters but there was no sign of him.” Now Mace definitely sounded worried.

“What, are you saying he disappeared?” Anakin asked skeptically.

“No, I’m saying he’s been missing and we’re concerned.”

“Well it’s only been three days; I’m sure there’s nothing to worry…”

Anakin trailed off. As soon as he began to say the words he felt the wrongness of them in the Force. Something was up.

“Master Windu,” Anakin began, finding his voice again, “did something happen before you noticed Qui-Gon was missing?”

“We had a Council meeting. And he became a bit…” Mace searched for the word, “upset at the proceedings.”

“Upset? Why?”

“That is information exclusive to the Council and those present during the meeting; it is none of your concern.” Mace sounded a bit defensive. “What is your concern is finding your former Master.”

“Well you haven’t exactly given me much to go on here.”

“Return to the Temple and we will brief you fully,” Mace ordered.

“Alright, I’m on my way.”

Anakin shut off his comm the turned toward Padmé. “I’m sorry. I wish I could stay but–“

“It’s all right, Ani,” Padmé said gently but with a rueful smile. “I could hear everything from here. As much as I would’ve liked to spend the rest of the day with you I understand that this is important. Go, find your Master, and then return to me safely.”

“I will, Angel.”

“I love you,” she said, this time her smile genuine.

“I love you too.”

He leaned forward and pressed a quick peck to her lips, then walked toward the door, stopping only to gaze longingly back over his shoulder once.

 

“So, are you going to tell me just where it is we’re going now?” Qui-Gon asked as he walked into the cockpit, a bit of annoyance creeping into his voice.

“No, I think I’d rather keep you in suspense,” Obi-Wan replied with a grin. “You will have to see once we arrive.”

Qui-Gon gazed around Obi-Wan’s ship. It was a nondescript freighter, perfect for slipping in and out unnoticed, but boasted a rather nice interior. It had three separate sleeping quarters, all with fully made up beds, a decent sized refresher, and a fully stocked galley. The majority of the cargo hold had been sacrificed for the space, but then Qui-Gon figured the ship wasn’t exactly used for hauling all that often.

So far they had already been traveling for two and a half days and, other than one short refueling stop, had spent the whole time on the ship. Qui-Gon was getting restless. He had spent as much time as possible meditating, going through katas, and trying to initiate conversations with Obi-Wan (many of which went nowhere) and he was, in a word, bored. While he didn’t necessarily mind flying, Qui-Gon was not a fan of being away from terrestrial life for so long; it left him feeling disconnected from the living Force.

When he had agreed to join Obi-Wan on this journey to…wherever, he had immediately followed the man to the ship, not even stopping at the Temple for so much as a change of clothes. All he had on him were the clothes on his back and his lightsaber. Had he taken time to pack a few things he would have at least brought a datapad or something to occupy his time, but for now he had nothing.

Qui-Gon paced back and forth from the cockpit to the rear of the cabin. He knew his lack of Jedi serenity would have gotten him reprimanded back at the Temple, but at the moment he couldn’t care less. It wasn’t just the boredom but the uncertainty that bothered him. He had no idea where he was going or what would happen once they arrived and Obi-Wan had refused to answer any of his questions with anything more than the vague, “You’ll see.”

Also, no one knew where he was. Granted that was kind of a good thing as the Council never would have let him go–they probably would have demanded he catch or even kill Obi-Wan and then he would never get his answers much less atone for his mistakes–but he didn’t want to worry Anakin. His former Padawan was like a son to him and he loved the young man, attachment be damned, and he wished he could have at least left a message to say where he was going. But then, Anakin needed plausible deniability in front of the Council so Qui-Gon had decided not to inform him.

“And how long until we arrive?” Qui-Gon asked.

“Ideally, by tomorrow, but that’s barring any untimely disasters or interruptions, of course,” Obi-Wan answered.

“So we have another full day, maybe more, spent cooped up in this ship? Just where in the Force are you taking me?”

“Aren’t you Jedi supposed to be patient?” Obi-Wan smirked. He ignored the second question, refusing to repeat himself despite Qui-Gon’s continual entreaties that he do so.

Qui-Gon just scowled, turning his gaze to the viewport and the blue streaks of hyperspace.

“Come now, surely you can’t be that bored,” Obi-Wan chided.

Qui-Gon grimaced. “I’m not bored,” he said defensively, “just…restless.”

“Restless, hmm?” Obi-Wan continued to smirk. “Perhaps we can find a way to burn off that energy.”

Qui-Gon focused his attention back on the man in the pilot’s seat. “And what would you suggest?” He kept his tone light but nonetheless remained guarded, not knowing what to expect.

“Follow me and find out,” Obi-Wan said with a wink as he rose from the chair.

With no real other options to keep himself occupied, Qui-Gon followed behind the man, heading toward the back of the ship. Without even stopping to make sure Qui-Gon was still behind him, Obi-Wan opened the door to the cargo area and stepped through.

“Well come on, then,” Obi-Wan called from inside.

Qui-Gon crossed the threshold into the cargo area, briefly glancing around at the empty space.

“And you brought me to a barren cargo hold because…” He trailed off, waiting for Obi-Wan to fill in the blank.

In answer Obi-Wan drew his ‘saber and flicked the blade on.

“Because it happens to be the only area on the ship large enough to accommodate a sparring session. I realize this space is not nearly as nice as your Temple training salles, but surely you can handle slumming it for a day.”

Qui-Gon rolled his eyes but lit his own ‘saber.

“All right then,” he said. “Sparring it is.”

Qui-Gon expected an immediate attack, used to opponents that rushed into the fray, but Obi-Wan held his ground. He opened with a defensive stance, again similar to Soresu–and that’s what it was, wasn’t it, a style born of years of Temple training–and locked eyes with Qui-Gon, the sly smirk never leaving his face.

Qui-Gon made the first move. He started slow and kept the acrobatics to a minimum, clashing blades with the Sith to better feel the man out and get a sense of his abilities beyond what their single previous confrontation had revealed. Obi-Wan met him in kind, blocking and parrying while only occasionally pressing the attack.

They moved back and forth across the hold, taking and giving ground in equal measure as they sized each other up.

Then, without warning, Obi-Wan went on the attack.

In the blink of an eye the man shifted tactics completely. He flipped over Qui-Gon’s head, using the taller man’s usual preferred move against him, and before Qui-Gon could even mount any sort of defense he found a blade at his throat.

“Solah,’ Qui-Gon conceded.

“Is that really your best?” Obi-Wan asked with a touch of derision.

“Not hardly,” Qui-Gon replied. “Again.”

This time Qui-Gon attacked first, using his quick opening strike to press the advantage. He used short, precise strokes of his blade, knowing better than to use broad, energy-consuming strikes against a mainly defensive opponent. Yet Obi-Wan continued to meet him blow for blow. The man kept up a near flawless wall of defense, not letting a single strike pass, and even though he repeatedly gave ground he seemed perfectly content with the situation.

Qui-Gon grew suspicious. _What is he planning?_ the Jedi thought. He continued to push Obi-Wan back toward the opposite wall waiting for…he didn’t know what.

Just centimeters from the wall Obi-Wan tensed. Qui-Gon prepared for another display of acrobatics, preparing to strike the other mid-air.

Obi-Wan jumped and Qui-Gon raised his blade–

–but the Sith stayed in place, instead delivering a sound Force-enhanced kick to Qui-Gon’s then unguarded chest. Qui-Gon flew backwards, just barely managing to recover his feet in time to block Obi-Wan’s next assault. He reached out with a Force push, hoping to put some distance between himself and the redhead, but only managed in gaining a few meters of breathing room.

Then Obi-Wan was on him again, this time raining down a flurry of blows, defense all but forgotten. Qui-Gon blocked and parried, refusing to let a single strike through, but now he was forced to give ground, the cold durasteel wall at his back growing ever closer.

In a last-ditch effort he feinted to the left, drawing Obi-Wan’s blade, then executed a perfect flip to put himself behind the Sith. But Obi-Wan was already there to meet him, ‘saber raised to block the blow.

Qui-Gon switched back to the defensive to wait for an opening but he refused to give ground when he could, maintaining as solid a wall as possible. Obi-Wan didn’t let up for a moment, raining down blow after powerful blow. He kept changing styles and tactics so Qui-Gon could never quite get a bead on what to expect next.

Deciding to put the vaunted Jedi patience to use, Qui-Gon waited. Even an opponent as formidable as Obi-Wan would make a mistake somewhere. And…there! an opening to the left flank. Qui-Gon darted in to land a blow and hopefully turn the tide in his favor, but Obi-Wan was ready for him. He caught Qui-Gon’s blade with his own, handily disarming the man, then reached out with his foot to pull Qui-Gon’s legs out from under him.

Qui-Gon landed hard, his back striking the cold durasteel, and his head swam for a moment. When he regained his bearings he looked up to see Obi-Wan’s blade at his throat once more.

“Solah,” he conceded again.

He stood back up, breathing hard, and called his lightsaber back to his hand. Qui-Gon expected to feel frustrated or a little chagrinned at losing twice in a row, but instead he felt strangely light. He felt far less tightly wound, his muscles instead feeling the familiar pleasant burn of a good workout. For all that he had landed rather painfully he was smiling. He had enjoyed the spar despite having his ass handed to him.

A thought suddenly occurred to him. He reached out into the Force, looking for that connection, and then he felt it. The bond between himself and Obi-Wan felt a bit more solid, more pronounced, and was humming with energy. His connection to the Sith felt stronger. And at the moment he didn’t seem to mind.

He looked at Obi-Wan and noticed the other man grinning as well. It could have been the grin of victory but the barest sense of emotion flowing across the bond told a different story. Obi-Wan was enjoying himself too.

With a more pronounced smile, Qui-Gon turned to face his opponent once more.

“Again,” he said, raising his blade.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's fucking back!!!
> 
> It was a slightly longer than intended and not all that productive on the writing front hiatus, but it's over and I'm back and this fic isn't dead or abandoned!! After this I have a teeny bit more done so it's time to buckle down and write, but I should no hopefully be back to weekly updates.
> 
> I looked over and edited this a loooooooong time ago (I think at least) so for all I know there are 12 billion mistakes in here, but I'm my own beta so they're all my own fault.
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who stuck with me through my prolonged absence and has come back to see how this thing ends, and my undying love and appreciation to everyone who leaves kudos and comments!!!

Qui-Gon stepped off the ship into the small yet bustling spaceport. Since Obi-Wan had refused to tell him where they were going he had to figure out their location for himself. He had seen a brown, blue, and olive-green planet orbited by two moons from the viewport during their approach, but that could’ve been anywhere. Plus, since Obi-Wan had refused to let him leave the ship during their brief refueling stop, he had no idea where even in the galaxy they were beyond the knowledge that they were in the outer rim. At least he thought it was the outer rim given the travel time.

He took stock of his surroundings. Since there was no shielding of any kind over the city and it stood on flat soil, Qui-Gon knew the planet had to have a breathable atmosphere. Beings of various species milled around the spaceport, though the majority were humans. Cargo ships were being loaded with large crates of what appeared to be foodstuffs. He could cross a few worlds off the list, but that still left hundreds of possibilities.

Then, he saw it. It was simple graffiti on the side of a building, nothing uncommon in any city or spaceport, except for the lettering, Qui-Gon couldn’t read it but he recognized the language: Dantarian. They were on Dantooine.

He turned to his Sith partner and nearly shouted, “Dantooine!? You took us to Dantooine?”

Obi-Wan just smiled. “Yes, Is that a problem?”

“Yes, it’s a problem,” Qui-Gon groaned. “This world is part of the CIS. This is Separatist space. And I am very obviously a Jedi.” He gestured to his robes. “You know, a general of the Grand Army of the Republic? As in the singular opponent of this planet’s governing system?How can you not see how this might be an issue?”

“Relax,” Obi-Wan soothed. “Firstly, we will not be here long, just the time it takes to finish docking the ship, collect a speeder, and run an errand.”

“What kind of err–?“

“And secondly,” he continued on, completely ignoring Qui-Gon’s question, “I have a plan.”

“Oh really. And what is this plan of yours?” Qui-Gon asked skeptically.

“Come with me and find out.”

Qui-Gon rolled his eyes. “You’re not fond of giving out information, are you?”

“Why would I give you answers when it’s so much more fun to watch you squirm?”

With that, Obi-Wan turned on his heel and walked over to go check in with the dockmaster.

Qui-Gon sighed. If this pattern of withholding information was going to continue, it was going to be a long… He stopped. How long was he expected to stay here? He had only agreed to come with Obi-Wan because the Force had urged him to do so–and he desperately wanted information on the bond he felt between them–but how much time, exactly, would that take? He considered asking Obi-Wan but thought better of it; the man would probably just answer with his usual “you’ll see” and continue to leave Qui-Gon in the dark.

He looked up and saw Obi-Wan making his way back over to the landing platform.

“Come, we have much to do,” he said briskly.

“I take it your not going to tell me just what it is we have to do.” It wasn’t a question.

Obi-Wan winked. “Let’s get going,” he said without so much as acknowledging Qui-Gon’s statement.

Taking a minute to look around for any possible Separatist eyes–droids, officials, anything–, Qui-Gon stepped off the platform and onto the hard dirt ground–but not before putting his hood up and ducking his head in an effort to remain inconspicuous.

Obi-Wan didn’t say anything, just smirked in amusement. Qui-Gon once again rolled his eyes in response.

The Sith led him out of the spaceport and down one of the many busy streets to a sleek, black, covered speeder parked in a nearby lot. Miraculously, given the time it must have spent parked there, it had neither been towed nor damaged in any way. In fact, the exterior still looked brand new.

“Well, get in,” Obi-Wan enjoined.

Qui-Gon slid into the passenger seat, taking care not to bang his head on the open door. Fortunately, the speeder seemed to have enough legroom to accommodate his large form, a rarity for him. Without another word, Obi-Wan revved the engine, the speeder lifted off the ground, and they were off.

They had only traveled a short distance before Obi-Wan brought the speeder to a halt again. They parked outside a rather nondescript building and Obi-Wan stepped outside. Qui-Gon made to step out as well, but Obi-Wan stopped him.

“No, no, Master Jedi,” he admonished. “You and your rather conspicuous robes must stay here. I’ll be right back.” He left without giving Qui-Gon a chance to respond.

A few minutes later, Obi-Wan returned and placed a bag of something on Qui-Gon’s lap.

“What is this?” Qui-Gon asked.

“Civilian clothing,” Obi-Wan replied. “We can’t have you walking around broadcasting your Jedi status everywhere and raising suspicions. We won’t be traveling into town much if at all, but if/when we do we need you to blend in. Otherwise we risk bringing down the entire Separatist fleet upon us and I think we can both agree that would be a rather bad thing.”

“Aren’t you working with the Separatists?” Qui-Gon questioned. “Why would you need to worry about the fleet? They would probably praise you for having captured a Jedi.”

“That is none of your concern,” Obi-Wan responded shortly. “Besides,” he said, returning to the earlier subject,” you needed more clothing. Since you followed me immediately and therefore didn’t have a chance to pack, the only clothing you currently have are those you are wearing. I don’t know about you, but I prefer not to be around someone wearing the same clothes for days on end.”

Qui-Gon had to concede the point. “Thank you,” he said, “I appreciate it.”

“Well then, now that that’s settled, let us be on out way.”

The speeder rose into the air again and Obi-Wan drove quickly down several streets, taking the turns at a speed that was likely much faster than necessary, before leaving the spaceport and heading out into open land. Out the transparisteel viewport Qui-Gon could see kilometer after kilometer of grassland, all yellow and lavender swaying in the wind. The land in front of them was flat with no sign of any topography and the grass was only interrupted by a few short thorny-looking trees.

With nothing much else to do or look at, Qui-Gon turned his attention to the bag of clothing in his lap. He rifled through it and pulled out a few items: two tunics in soft blue and light brown; two pairs of leggings, one tan, one dark brown; a simple set of sleep clothes; and a single pair of atrocious-looking synthleather pants.

“You cannot be serious,” Qui-Gon said flatly.

“What, do you not like them?” Obi-Wan smirked and didn’t even bother to look over at Qui-Gon. He didn’t need to; he could feel his discomfort loud and clear through the Force.

“Please don’t tell me you expect me to wear these.” Qui-Gon had had enough of Obi-Wan’s antics; it was starting to chip away at his Jedi serenity.

“No one said you had to,” Obi-Wan offered nonchalantly. “But now you have the option. Besides, I think they would look rather nice on you.” He was absolutely shameless.

Qui-Gon did his best not to blush at the comment. He just shook his head and folded up the pants to place back in the bag. Obviously he would never so much as try them on.

 

Some time later, Obi-Wan pulled up to a rather large but very isolated compound. He slowed and made his way to the side of the outmost building where he pulled the speeder into a small garage.

“Here we are,” he said brightly, exiting the vehicle.

Qui-Gon followed suit, once again ducking to avoid the top of the door, and stood. Then he turned to grab the bag of clothing from where he had left it on the seat. Obi-Wan was looking at him expectantly.

“If you’re ready,” he said, gesturing out the open garage.

“Lead the way,” Qui-Gon replied.

Obi-Wan led him back around to the front of the building and to a door which slid open at his touch. He stepped through the doorway without so much as checking to make sure Qui-Gon had followed. Qui-Gon stepped after him and gratefully noticed that the doorway was tall enough that he didn’t have to duck, another rarity for him. If he didn’t know any better he’d say Obi-Wan had prepared specifically for him to visit.

“Let me give you the grand tour,” Obi-Wan called from further on in the large foyer. The building was a single story, but wide and hallways on either side led to a suit of various rooms. Through an open doorway Qui-Gon could see what looked to be a kitchen and dining area, but he couldn’t be sure. The walls were rather bare, just colored with an off-white paint, and free from any shelving units or décor. Qui-Gon blinked. He had expected the Sith to keep a more ostentatious home, not these rather Spartan-looking rooms.

“This way,” said Obi-Wan, interrupting his thoughts, “is the kitchen. It is fully stocked and you are free to take as much food as you need whenever you choose, though I expect to see you every night at 1800 for latemeal, which we will eat at the dining area here.” He gestured to a round table surrounded by a few chairs.

“This,” he continued, “is the living room.” It stood just across from the dining area and contained a few comfortable-looking couches on what looked like rather soft carpeting. “There is a view screen on the wall just there and I have a wide selection of holovids. There is also holonet access, but of course it will be limited.

“Now come, there is more to show you.” He beckoned for Qui-Gon to follow him and they made their way down one of the halls.

“This,” he said, opening a door, “is the library. You will have full access to any datacrons and datapads and, with permission, you may be allowed to look at a few of my books.”

Qui-Gon looked across the room to a shelf containing real flimsi books, and all in great condition. He stood in awe for a moment before Obi-Wan continued the tour.

“Here, we have the training area,” he stated, opening a pair of double doors. It looked just like the training salles at the Temple: mat-covered floors for sparring, training droids, remotes, and a wall of training sabers. Qui-Gon had a feeling more sparring matches were in his future.

“The guest fresher is there,” Obi-Wan indicated another door, “and it has both sonic and water showers. And this,” he said with an air of finality, “is your room.”

Qui-Gon stepped through the door into an equally Spartan set of quarters. It contained a simple though comfy-looking bed, a side table with a lamp, and a closet. He set the clothing bag down on the table and walked over to look out through the large viewport at the continued expanse of swaying grasses.

Then he turned back to Obi-Wan. “Is that it?” he inquired. “For the tour, I mean?”

“What, you expect me to show you every last corner of this compound? I covered all the important parts, the rooms you need to know. Most of the other rooms are, of course, off-limits unless I say so. And don’t even think about trying to break in; all are locked and equipped with multiple alarms and a ray shield will activate if the door is opened without the proper key.”

“You seem to have thought of everything,” Qui-Gon grudgingly admitted, since he had just been forming a plan to see what lay behind all the closed doors.

“Well, that is it. I’m sure you must be tired so I shall leave you to it. But don’t forget, latemeal is at 1800.” With that, he turned and exited the room, the door sliding shut behind him.

Qui-Gon just stood in the middle of the room for a moment as the gravity of the situation finally caught up to him. He had followed an almost complete stranger–a Sith Lord, no less–to a remote planet without so much as a note to explain his absence, and would be living with said Sith on said remote planet for he didn’t even know how long. He was not excited at the prospect of trying to explain all of this to the Council.

He needed to meditate.

After taking a moment to hang up the clothes in the closet, he settled on the floor of the room and reached out to the Force to hopefully find some guidance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure about leaving that part with the pants in because it didn't really add anything but I thought it was funny and it made me smile so it stayed. You're welcome. If you want him to wear them leave a comment telling me to do the thing and the thing might just happen in a future chapter ^_0
> 
> Find me on tumblr @aphorisnt if you wanna see me reblog lots of Star Wars and some other shit.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin's search for Qui-Gon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to get back in the swing of things with posting regularly and so far so good!! This is kind of a short chapter but it didn't really fit with the next part so I just put it as its own thing. Future chapters will be longer though (and in some cases much longer)!! Not totally sure how I feel about this chapter either but I've stared at it long enough so it's just gonna have to work.
> 
> Also I use the phrase "speak of the siqsa" at one point which basically means "speak of the devil," with siqsa being a kind of Sith demon according to Wookieepedia. Because when you google "Sith equivalent of devil" or whatever it was I searched that's what comes up.
> 
> As always, I'm my own beta so mistakes are mine and all of you who leave comments and kudos have my undying love and gratitude!!
> 
> And one last thing!! So far consensus from last chapter is yes on the pants so they might make an appearance in a later chapter, we'll just have to see. (If you haven't weighed in on the pants but want to just comment in the last chapter.)
> 
> Thanks for reading, friends!!

He began at the Temple. He knew he wouldn’t find any sign of his former Master but Anakin didn’t know where else to start. So, like an akk dog trying to catch a scent, he searched for any possible clues.

He began with Qui-Gon’s quarters. The rooms were still exactly as they were when he had been a Padawan: mostly bare walls, a shelf containing data pads and a few rare flimsi books as well as various knickknacks from past missions, a comfortable couch in the sitting room, a small and seldom used kitchen, and of course a copious amount of plant life. With his affinity for the Living Force Qui-Gon collected plants the same way Anakin collected machine parts. Come to think of it, the lack of machine parts covering nearly every available surface was the only marked difference since his knighting.

Anakin checked the sleeping quarters and found, to his surprise, that the room was completely undisturbed and all of Qui-Gon’s belongings were still present. Jedi owned few possessions and usually traveled light, but they always brought a few essentials along; Qui-Gon hadn’t even taken his pack, much less any items he might need. _He can’t possibly be off-world then_ , thought Anakin with no small amount of relief. If Qui-Gon was still on Coruscant then he had a much better chance of finding him.

However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that that might not be the case. Though his Master’s Force signature still permeated the rooms he obviously hadn’t been back in a few days, and the Council had said he’d been missing for at least three. Eccentric of not, surely Qui-Gon would have returned to his rooms at some point, if only for a change of robes, while still planetside. That killed any of the reassurance Anakin had felt just a moment ago; he was no closer to finding his Master than when he had started.

Following up on the Force signature theory, Anakin made his way to the Room of a Thousand Fountains and visited his Master’s favorite meditation spot. Qui-Gon was always most at peace when he could connect with the natural world and so would most often meditate under the shade of a large tree, leaning against the trunk as he communed with the Force. His signature was strong in the area too, given how much time the man had spent in meditation over the years. And yet there too Qui-Gon’s Force signature was markedly distant, almost stale in a way–more evidence that he had not so much as set foot in the Temple in days.

With his suspicions confirmed, Anakin moved on to his next area of investigation: Coruscant itself. The ecumenopolis was enormous so there was no way he could search the entire planet, but he did know Qui-Gon’s favorite haunts and could check all the places where the Jedi Master may at least have been seen.

He decided to start with the senate building. For all that Qui-Gon distrusted politicians, there were a few he counted among his confidence. Some he welcomed with open arms–Padmé, for example, for which Anakin was eternally grateful–and some more begrudgingly–like the Chancellor, to Anakin’s eternal disappointment. Chancellor Palpatine was a great friend and confidant, almost like a father figure to Anakin, and Anakin couldn’t see how Qui-Gon could possibly disdain such a man.

Speak of the siqsa–

“Anakin, my boy, what brings you to the senate today?” Palpatine opened his arms wide as if to encompass the entire building in his greeting.

“Hello, Chancellor,” Anakin said with a smile.

Palpatine entreated, “Please, walk with me, it has been so long since we last spoke.”

“I wish I could, Chancellor,” Anakin replied, albeit a tad reluctantly, “but I can’t right now. I’m in the middle of something.”

“Oh? Anything I can help with?”

Anakin thought for a minute. “Maybe. Any chance you’ve seen Master Jinn around lately?”

“Master Jinn? No, I can’t say that I have,” Palpatine answered. “Why, have you lost him?” He laughed gently before he noticed Anakin’s expression. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. Is something the matter?”

“Well that’s just it,” Anakin responded, “we–the council and I–can’t find him anywhere. It’s been a few days since he was last at the Temple and no one has seen him since, but all his travel stuff is still in his quarters so I don’t know where he could’ve gone.”

“You don’t suspect foul play, do you?”

Anakin’s eyes widened; he hadn’t thought of that. “I don’t know, Chancellor, but that’s why I’m searching for clues.”

“Well, I shall of course let you know the moment I find anything out. Good luck, Anakin.”

“Thank you, Chancellor.”

Anakin strode down the hallway to ask a few other senate members if they had seen his wayward former Master.

 

The senate didn’t turn up any information, so Anakin resorted to searching the planet itself. He knew of a few places Qui-Gon frequented, different bars and clubs and such, but had no idea where to start.

Then, an idea struck him: Dex.

The Besalisk gave him a warm greeting as soon as he entered the diner. “Anakin! How nice to _finally_ see you again. I see you’ve for once found time in that busy schedule of yours to visit an old friend.”

“Hello to you too, Dex,” Anakin said with a smile. “I would’ve come sooner but, you know, fighting a war and trying not to die and everything.”

“That’s no excuse for not making time to visit,” he scolded good-naturedly. “You and I both know you get leave time every now and then, so the least you could do is stop by for a meal or two. You Jedi, so ungrateful.”

“I’m sorry, Dex, I’ll make sure to stop by for a nerf steak and fried tubers the next time I’m not getting shot at.”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Dex laughed. “Now come on. Your booth is open and I can get your usual meal out in just a bit.”

“Actually, Dex,” Anakin began, “I’m not here for lunch. I’m here for information.”

“Oh, I see.” Dex crossed both sets of his arms in feigned insult. “You only come by when you need something.”

“Hey, you know I love your food, too. Remember the first time Qui-Gon took me here as a Padawan?”

Dex laughed again. “I’ve still never seen a plate of food disappear so quickly.

“Alright, what kind of intel are you after?”

“Qui-Gon is missing,” Anakin blurted out immediately, not even bothering to be diplomatic despite the fact that any patrons could be listening in.

“Missing how?”

“Like _missing_ missing, as in no one has seen him around for three, four days now.”

“So you lost your Master?” Dex asked incredulously. “Are you sure he’s not off searching for that guy?”

Anakin paused. “What guy?”

“The one he came in here asking about a few days ago. I tried to comm him because I had some information but he didn’t pick up. Did he not tell you?”

“No, he didn’t,” Anakin said flatly.

“Oh, well, I can tell you, then. He was looking for a human male, this Obi-Wan Kenobi guy. I can describe him if you want. He’s human, a redhead, shorter than you. And,” Dex paused for a moment, “Qui-Gon thought he might be a Sith.”

That stopped Anakin cold. Why would Qui-Gon be searching out some Sith without asking him for help, much less telling him anything in the first place. _Is it that guy he fought a month ago?_ Anakin wondered. That would make sense but it didn’t make him feel any better about being kept out of the loop.

“Well, what intel were you gonna give him?” Anakin asked, hoping for even the slightest clue as to Qui-Gon’s whereabouts.

“A contact of mine saw a guy that looked a lot like him at a spaceport about a day ago.”

“Where?” Anakin questioned impatiently.

“Ciutric.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day on Dantooine and a lot of meditation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday the 13th!!
> 
> It's a longer chapter this time, just like I promised, and we're back to the QuiObi shenanigans you guys are really here for. Or, well, at least almost there ^_0 (you'll see). We're getting deep into the story now so shit's gonna start becoming more and more real from here on out. Hope you're ready!!
> 
> All my love and thanks to you readers, especially those who leave comments and kudos. You guys fuel my very existence!!!

Qui-Gon rose with the dawn, stretching as he got out of bed. He pulled on a fresh clothing–the new blue tunic and tan leggings, courtesy of Obi-Wan–and went through his morning ablutions (his host had also been kind enough to stock the ‘fresher with toiletries). Despite his current residence in a strange Sithly compound he decided to start the day off as he would any other: with meditation.

Rather then stay inside and kneel on the floor of him room, he elected to find a nice place in the yard at the front of the compound where he could better connect with nature and the Living Force. He found a nice spot to kneel on the neatly shorn grass near one of those spiky trees he had seen on the ride over–blba trees, he remembered they were called–then closed his eyes and slowed his breathing as he reached for his center.

That morning he had much to meditate over.

As he sat, the full gravity of his choice to accompany Obi-Wan began to wash over him. He had disappeared without telling anyone, not even Anakin, that he would be headed off world. He had abandoned his men and left them alone for whatever next campaign they would be sent on or stuck in the barracks waiting for his return (he wasn’t sure which would feel worse to them). He was deep in the Outer Rim and very far from anyone who might help him should something happen and thus far knew nobody outside from Obi-Wan. The Sith. The Sith whom he had followed far away from civilization, both in the planetary and galactic sense. Not that the Outer Rim wasn’t civilized, he amended to himself, but compared to Coruscant Dantooine could be called a backwater world at best.

Regardless, he was Jedi who was now completely cut off from his Order and more or less stranded in the far reaches of the galaxy with only a Sith Lord for company. _I could die right now and no one would ever know what happened to me_ , he thought to himself. Yet the Force had encouraged him to go and he had heeded its call.

He reached deep into the Force for further confirmation anyway, needing reassurance that he was doing the right thing.

_Yes_ , it seemed to sing, _this is where you should be, where you need to be._

And who was he to argue with the Force itself? Having his decision affirmed assuaged some of his anxiety and meditation took care of the rest, allowing him to release such feelings into the Force.

Qui-Gon wasn’t sure how long he had meditated for, but when he opened his eyes again the sun had fully risen above the plains. Then he felt a shadow fall over him. He looked up and met the molten gold gaze of Obi-Wan. _Force_ , Qui-Gon thought, _I didn’t even sense his approach_. He did his best to hide his surprise behind durasteel shields, but judging by Obi-Wan’s smirk he hadn’t done so quickly enough. Yet the Sith was kind enough not to mention it.

“I thought I might find you out here,” he said instead. “You Jedi have always had a thing for meditating.”

“What, do Sith not meditate?” Qui-Gon asked, pushing himself up off the ground.

Obi-Wan’s smirk stayed plastered on his face. “No, we do, just not quite as often. And not as ‘peacefully’ either, what with peace being a lie and all that.

“But that’s neither here nor there,” he continued. “You can come inside and join me if you wish; first meal is ready.”

Qui-Gon came into the dining area to find the table laden with food: bowls of various fruit, stacks of flatcakes, plates of nerf bacon, and, thank the Force, a fresh pot of tea.

“I didn’t take you for a tea drinker,” Qui-Gon said with a wry smile.

Obi-Wan feigned offense. “What, you don’t think Sith enjoy a nice cup of tea every now and then? Making a lot of assumptions there, Master Jinn.”

Qui-Gon ignored him and reached out to pour himself a cup. He sniffed it before he took a sip and smiled. “Sapir. That’s always been my favorite.”

“Then I guess we have something in common.” Obi-Wan poured a cup for himself and blew on it gently before taking a drink. “I’m glad to see you are a man of taste as well, not ruining a perfectly good cup of tea with all that milk and sugar some beings drown it in.”

“Of course,” Qui-Gon replied. “After all, what is the point of drinking tea if you can’t taste its flavor?”

With that, both men filled their plates and sat down. Qui-Gon took a modest helping, not wanting too large of a meal, and his plate consisted mostly of fruit. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, had piled his plate high with a little of everything, not hesitating to indulge.

Qui-Gon thought about making some sort of comment about the Sith style of luxury but decided against it; for all that it was a joke he did not want to inadvertently start some sort of conflict first thing in the morning. Instead, he stayed quiet, focusing on the food in front of him. Obi-Wan did the same. The room was very quiet.

As he ate, Qui-Gon’s thoughts returned to the motivation behind his entire journey: the inexplicable bond between himself and the Sith across the table. He had decided against thinking on it during his morning meditation as he still had no answers and knew the Force would not provide him with any yet. He would have to depend on Obi-Wan for that explanation.

The silence stretched on as the meal reached its end until Qui-Gon finally asked, “So, are you going to explain to me about this bond we have? You have continually promised we would talk about it ‘later’ and I believe it is now, in fact, later.”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan replied. “I am nothing but a man of my word. Oh don’t give me that,” he said in response to Qui-Gon’s dubious expression. “Just because I’m a Sith Lord doesn’t mean I have no personal sense of honor. Again with the assumptions, honestly.

“But yes, my dear,” Qui-Gon’s eyes widened at the endearment, “we will discuss it soon. Today, in fact, but not until after we eat. I hate to ruin a meal with overly serious conversation.”

Qui-Gon leaned back in his chair, seeing no choice but to wait until the other man was finished. For the next fifteen minutes his mind raced with questions: How had the bond formed? What kind of bond was it? Why was there a bond between himself and Obi-Wan in the first place? Should he try to break the bond? Would that even be possible?

The sound of a chair scraping interrupted his thoughts. Obi-Wan was standing, having evidently finished his meal, and stared at Qui-Gon expectantly as he pushed his chair back in.

“Well? Are you coming?” he asked.

It took Qui-Gon a minute to collect his thought, but he quickly stood up and pushed his chair in as well. “Yes,” he said simply.

“Good,” Obi-Wan replied. “Follow me to the library.”

The room was just how he remembered it from the night before with one exception, two meditation mats facing each other on the floor.

“I take it we’re going to meditate, then,” Qui-Gon stated.

“Indeed we are. I know you just completed your own meditations but this will be of a different sort. Come, sit,” he entreated, gesturing to one of the mats.

Qui-Gon sat down and crossed his legs, waiting for further instruction. Obi-Wan joined him on the floor and assumed the same position. Then he scooted forward until his knees touched Qui-Gon’s.

“Give me your hands,” he said, not quite a demand though the implication was there.

“Why?” Qui-Gon asked skeptically.

“I told you this would be a different sort of meditation. You said you wanted to understand the bond between us; give me your hands and we will see.”

Qui-Gon acquiesced, albeit a tad reluctantly, and grasped Obi-Wan’s outstretched hands.

“Thank you,” Obi-Wan said. “Now, close your eyes and listen to my voice.”

Qui-Gon did as told.

“Find your center and reach out for the Force, feel it moving through you, through everything.”

Qui-Gon complied, though he was a bit surprised that the Sith seemed to be directing him in Light Side meditation techniques.

“As you reach into the Force, let everything go. Empty your mind; notice your thoughts but do not engage them, let them pass you by. I want you to narrow your focus just to yourself.”

Again, he did as told. Everything outside of himself and the Force fell away; it was almost like floating. Yet he could still hear Obi-Wan’s voice and didn’t actually find it distracting.

“Now, follow my voice. I want you to reach for me in the Force, seek out my presence. You can maintain your shields, I’m not here to pry into your thoughts, just see if you can reach me.”

Though a little wary, Qui-Gon continued to comply. He stretched out his senses, looking for the other man and–

–there, shining between them, so bright he couldn’t believe he had not noticed it before, a bond stood out in sharp relief. It looked strong too, made of many interwoven strands of blue, green, gold, and red, and linked him firmly, possibly irrevocably, to Obi-Wan. The bond seemed linked to his very being, something inherent to himself, and for a moment he felt like he had been missing something, like there had been some sort of emptiness inside him, but now he was whole. That shook the very foundation of his sense of self.

Qui-Gon’s shock threw him out of meditation and back to the physical world. He almost felt like he had surfaced from a deep dive and gasped for air. “What…was that?” he panted.

“That, my dear, is a soul bond. We are forever connected, two parts or a whole, a union of beings ordained by the Force itself. Soulmates, as some might even say.”

Silence. Qui-Gon couldn’t speak. He stared at Obi-Wan for a moment, eyes impossibly wide, then closed his eyes again and hoped to the Force that the Sith was merely joking. But no such luck. Again, the Force sang out in confirmation, a brilliant note of happiness at the union of two of its favorite children. Qui-Gon couldn’t think of anything to say, just opened his eyes and stared fixedly at the floor.

“I see this may have been a little shocking to you. Well, I have things I must do so I will leave you alone to process all of this. I hope to see you later today at least by latemeal, if not earlier.” Obi-Wan turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Qui-Gon just continued to mutely stare at the floor. He was soul bonded to a Sith.

It was only later, however that he realized something. When Obi-Wan had left the library his eyes were blue.

 

Qui-Gon spent most of that night following the revelation tossing and turning in bed. His own research in the Temple archives had brought up some scant information about soul bonds, but most texts simply said they were extremely rare Force-ordained connections and stopped there. None had said anything about how they developed or what to do if you found yourself soulbonded or how to break–

Something inside Qui-Gon immediately twisted in revulsion at the thought of breaking the bond. He didn’t understand it. Not only was this man a Sith but they had also just met–for real, anyway–so there was no way he should feel any kind of attachment to Obi-Wan. Yet there it was; he was loathe to even consider letting the other go.

As the night wore on he found his thoughts drifting and in a moment of weakness considered what it might be like to allow the bond to flourish. Despite being a Sith Obi-Wan did not seem unkind. On the contrary, aside from that one attempt on his life at their first (or maybe it was technically their second) meeting Obi-Wan had been nothing but polite. Not to mention smooth and suave. _And extremely gorgeous,_ some dark corner of Qui-Gon’s mind piped up but he quickly quashed the thought.

And for all that he couldn’t respect the decision, Qui-Gon could nonetheless see how Obi-Was had become as he was, how failure and rejection had twisted him into a creature of darkness. After all, Qui-Gon could empathize. When he lost Xanatos to the Dark he had come close to falling himself, the haze of anguish and heartbreak pushing him right up to the edge. Had he not had the support of his fellow Jedi in those difficult years he very likely would have Fallen, a fact he only admitted to himself in the dark of the night when alone with his thoughts.

Unable to sleep, Qui-Gon finally gave up and rolled put of bed, pulling a robe over his sleep clothes and padding out into the hallway. He knew his thoughts were too jumbled for meditation to be much help (though really, meditation was what he needed at the moment) so he resolved to head to the training area and run through some katas in the hopes of tiring out his body enough that his mind could find some rest.

He approached the doors to the salles and was about to enter when he heard noise from inside. He cracked open the door just enough to peek through and caught sight of Obi-Wan working through a routine of his own.

The man was shirtless and drenched in sweat; clearly he had been at this for some time but as far as Qui-Gon saw he showed no signs of fatigue. Starting from one edge of the room, Obi-Wan cycled through movements, beautifully twisting his saber in a series of complex arcs as he thrust and parried, light on his bare feet as he crossed the floor. About halfway through the routine turned more acrobatic, incorporating jumps and flips and other gymnastics, the moves clearly meant for facing a skilled duelist.

As Qui-Gon watched he started to recognize the movements, anticipating what actions would come next and where Obi-Wan would next move. The familiarity of it all struck him as odd and he considered for a moment. Then it hit him–Obi-Wan was practicing a Jedi kata, Form VI if Qui-Gon wasn’t mistaken. It had been a long time since he had practiced Niman but Qui-Gon remembered the movements from his Padawan days, the way the highly energetic form blended together and adapted all the forms preceding it.

And Obi-Wan was unbelievable, all power and grace, making the moves look utterly effortless and almost like a dance. The kata brought him all over the floor of the salle, allowing Qui-Gon to see him from every angle: the precision in his blade work, the exact moment he would tense to jump, the firm expression of concentration on his face with the determined set of his blue eyes.

Wait, blue? Qui-Gob did a double take. No, he was right, Obi-Wan’s eyes were blue again, a beautiful crystalline that shone like the sun glinting off the ocean waves. Qui-Gob’s breath caught in his chest at the sight.

He kept watching until Obi-Wan finished the kata and walked to the back corner of the room to retrieve a towel and bottle of water. While Obi-Wan had his back turned Qui-Gon softly closed the door and padded back to his room.

There was no way he would be sleeping tonight after all.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fieldtrip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaahhhhhh I'm a day late!! I'm so sorry, friends, I wasn't feeling well yesterday and just totally forgot but it's here now!!
> 
> This chapter took a long time to write and I stared at it forever but I don't know what else to do with it so I'm posting it now. It's also longer than, like, every other chapter I've posted so I hope you don't mind that it's abotu double the length. And yes, that is, in fact, a rating change. You're welcome ^_0
> 
> Comments and kudos fuel my existence and are hella appreciated!!!

The days continued much the same from then. Qui-Gon would wake up and take time to meditate, then join Obi-Wan for firstmeal, then he would run through katas to keep himself in fighting shape and spend time in the library continuing to look for information on Force bonds, soul bonds in particular (though he so far remained unsuccessful on that front). Late afternoons were spent meditating with Obi-Wan to better grasp their soul bond and what it might mean for them. He and Obi-Wan would then adjourn for latemeal. The rest of the evening he occupied however he wished, though the last two had been spent getting soundly trounced in the training salle.

He pushed up on to his elbows from where he was lying on the floor the lifted himself into a sitting position. His back hurt from where it had impacted the mat and he shook his head to regain his bearings. He looked up only to find a hand in front of his face.

“A valiant effort,” Obi-Wan said, hand still proffered. “You lasted longer this time.” Sweat plastered his copper hair to his skull and his tunics clung to his skin, revealing well-defined muscles–not that Qui-Gon noticed, or so he told himself.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Qui-Gon replied, a touch of humor in his voice as he grasped the hand in front of him.

“Good, because that’s how it was intended.” Obi-Wan pulled Qui-Gon to his feet with a strength that belied his size and still took Qui-Gon off guard. “I think that’s enough for today.”

“Are you sure?” Qui-Gon asked. “We’ve only been at it for an hour.”

“I know, but I had an idea. How would you like to take…let’s say a field trip of sorts?”

“A field trip?” he questioned. “Now?” The wall chrono clearly blinked 2000 Coruscant Standard.

“Yes, now,” Obi-Wan replied with a grin. “Come on, I think you’ll like it. Go ahead and shower and change, then meet me in the garage at the speeder. It’s a short trip but too far to walk.”

“Ok,” Qui-Gon said dubiously. He would have asked where they were going but had learned that asking Obi-Wan for more information about anything was likely to earn him nothing more than cryptic evasions and smug smiles at his own expense. It was better to just wait and see.

“Excellent,” Obi-Wan said. “Then I’ll see you soon.” He turned on his heel and walked out the doors without another word.

With a shrug, Qui-Gon followed behind, making his way to his own room.

One trip through the ‘fresher and change of clothes later, Qui-Gon met Obi-Wan by the sleek black speeder they had ridden in that first day on planet. The garage door was already open, letting in the light of the slowly setting sun.

“Glad to see you could make it,” Obi-Wan called from where he was leaning against the driver’s side door. “Well, hop in and we’ll be on our way.”

Without a word Qui-Gon did as he was bid, opening the door and sliding into the passenger seat. Once again he appreciated how spacious the speeder was as he didn’t have to cram himself into the compartment like cargo stuffed in the hold of a freighter.

In one motion Obi-Wan gracefully slid in beside him and powered up the speeder, then guided it carefully out of the garage.

“You’re an awfully careful pilot,” Qui-Gon commented.

“Piloting is for droids,” Obi-Wan scoffed, “but alas I have no droid here so I do what I must.”

“I wouldn’t have pegged you for someone with a fear of piloting, especially not a speeder.”

“It’s not a fear,” he replied disdainfully. “I simply find the task tedious and know that every other being behind the wheel of any vehicle is a complete idiot. The last thing I want is someone denting my speeder.”

“I see…” Qui-Gon said skeptically, but he let the subject rest.

The drive continued in silence after that, Obi-Wan concentrating on reaching their destination and Qui-Gon contenting himself with staring out the window. Even in the speeder he could feel the living Force thrumming through all life on the planet and the sunset was rather beautiful, the bright fiery colors a nice contrast to the purple of the grasses. He appreciated the later sunsets and shorter night cycles of this season on Dantooine, enjoying the warm natural light just a little bit longer.

“So,” Obi-Wan said, finally breaking the silence. “I notice you have yet to ask where we are going.”

Qui-Gon huffed a sigh and rolled his eyes, then repeated his earlier internal monologue. “With you I have learned it’s better not to ask; I know I’m not going to get a straight answer.”

And there was that smug smile; what a surprise. “Ah, I see you’re learning. Well let’s see if you can guess.”

“I’d rather just wait and see when we get there.”

“ Are you sure? Alright, suit yourself.” Obi-Wan acquiesced at the shake of Qui-Gon’s head.

They lapsed back into silence for the rest of the drive. Qui-Gob resumed his windowed vigil and watched as the sun sank lower and twilight began to settle over the plains. As much as he loved the Jedi Temple back on Coruscant Qui-Gon would always feel more at home away from the durasteel and duracrete of the ecumenopolis.

They seemed to be approaching what looked to be a large estate.

“Are we allowed on this property?” Qui-Gob asked, a note of disbelief in his voice.

“No,”Obi-Wan replied simply.

Qui-Gon waited for further explanation but none was forthcoming. “No?” he finally asked.

“Oh come now, surely you must know by now that we Sith have never been ones to observe rules and regulations when they don’t suit our needs. Besides, the owners of the estate so seldom come out this way there’s little to no chance of them finding us.

“Well, here we are!” he said suddenly, taking one hand to gesture out the windshield. Obi-Wan pulled the speeder into a gentle stop alongside what looked to be a large rock formation.

“Wow, you brought me to see some rocks,” Qui-Gon deadpanned.

“Oh Qui-Gon, surely you can guess we are here for more than that. And here I thought your Jedi training and studies would have covered such subjects as locations important to your Order.”

“Important to the Order? What are you…” he trailed off as the realization hit him. “The Crystal Caves. You’ve brought us to the Crystal Caves.”

“Gold star for the correct answer!” Obi-Wan quipped. “Alright, let’s go.”

Both stepped out of the speeder and made their way around to the entrance of the cave, but not before Obi-Wan reached into the back seat and pulled out a travel bag (though Qui-Gon was too mesmerized by the caves to take notice).

“After you,” Obi-Wan gestured at the interior.

Qui-Gon ducked through the low opening and stepped inside. Instantly he was hit with a powerful wave of Force energy. The cave almost seemed to be alive, the Force thrumming through each and every crystal stuck into the walls. The crystals shone even in the dimness of the cave as if giving off their own light and created a kaleidoscope of blue, green, and yellow that he found mesmerizing. From the entrance the path sloped gently downward, leading further into the cave’s depths. Qui-Gon re-centered himself, bringing the Force back under control, and began following the path, Obi-Wan right behind him.

“I never thought I would see these caves in person,” he breathed, glancing around in awe. “With the former Jedi enclave here destroyed and a steady supply of crystals elsewhere no one has had reason to visit them and I never had the chance before the planet fell under Separatist control. They’re absolutely beautiful.”

He stopped and reached out a hand to reverently touch one of the crystals, again feeling the Force flow through it. The whole cave felt like an organism, each crystal outcropping full of life and sensing the world around it.

“Come on,” Obi-Wan broke into his thoughts. “We still have farther yet to go.”

Qui-Gon reluctantly dropped his hand and continued down the path, though he still moved at a sedate pace to continue taking in his surroundings.

Finally they reached a huge cavern, crystals dotting the wall and ceiling but the floor almost entirely bare.

“Here we are,” Obi-Wan chirped then set his bag on the ground. He reached inside and began pulling items out.

“What did you bring?” Qui-Gob asked, just now noticing the bag (but choosing not to comment on his lack of awareness).

“Some things that will suit our purpose.” He placed two meditation mats on the floor, each facing each other, a small portable lamp for added light, and two blankets.

“Are we camping out?” Qui-Gon questioned.

“No, but it can get rather cold down here at night and I don’t know about you but I prefer to be comfortable whenever the situation allows.”

“Fair enough,” Qui-Gon allowed.

Obi-Wan set the bag aside then sat down on one of the meditation mats, gesturing for Qui-Gon to do the same. Qui-Gon lowered himself onto the mat and assumed a meditative position, making himself comfortable.

Obi-Wan settled himself and reached out his hands and Qui-Gon took them, maintaining physical contact in the fashion of their bond meditations. Qui-Gob closed his eyes and relaxed his breathing, clearing his mind. He reached for his center and the living Force inside himself, then broadened his awareness to the Force flowing all around him.

He felt a slight nudge against his shields–Obi-Wan asking for access. He lowered his outer shields and welcomed the Sith in along the glowing threads of their bond.

With the crystals magnifying it, the Force flowed stronger between them than ever before, the light of their bond almost binding. But neither would let go. Their connection solidified itself further, growing stronger than ever before, and Qui-Gon felt something: a wholeness beyond what he had felt ever before, a oneness with Obi-Wan. It was as if they were one being and he couldn’t tell where he ended and the other man began.

The deeper he fell into meditation the stronger that feeling felt. Then, without even realizing he was doing it, Qui-Gon let each and every one of his shields fall away until his mind was fully open and he readily let Obi-Wan all the way inside. Obi-Wan reciprocated, letting Qui-Gon reach far inside his mind as well. Normally such a gesture would have been shocking but in that moment it felt entirely natural, as if this was how things were always supposed to be.

Qui-Gon saw all of Obi-Wan. He felt the Force flow through the man, the lingering trains of thought and emotions, and felt the oppressive darkness seeming to smother everything within. But there, at the very center, was a small spark of light. Qui-Gon reached for it and brushed against it with mental fingertips. He briefly basked in the warmth and some part of him wondered if he could fan the flames of that spark, but before he could try the darkness set back in.

He tried to fight against it but he suddenly felt Obi-Wan’s shields coming back up, felt the connection along their bond weakening. The release of each other wasn’t abrupt though, not like it had been in previous meditation sessions. Instead the force of it just slowly ebbed away, a tide flowing back out.

A moment later Qui-Gon was blinking his eyes open as he returned his awareness to his physical body and the world around him. He found Obi-Wan doing the same. For a minute the two just stared at each other, neither knowing quite what to say or even begin talking about what had just happened. Then Qui-Gon noticed Obi-Wan’s eyes.

“Your eyes are blue,” he blurted out. “They’re beautiful; I like them.” Obi-Wan’s eyes widened in disbelief and confusion and a beat later Qui-Gon realized just what he had said. He cringed internally.

“I mean-, that is to say-“ he stammered, groping for words as a blush began to heat his cheeks.

Then Obi-Wan laughed. “Thank you, I think. Your eyes are nice as well.”

Now it was Qui-Gon’s turn to stare in disbelief. He had just received a genuine compliment from a Sith. He wasn’t sure what to do with that information.

Another beat of silence, then Obi-Wan spoke.

“You know, when I was young I thought being a Jedi was the only future that existed,” he began without preamble. “It was my dream. Then you came along and shattered it.”

A stricken expression crossed Qui-Gon’s face and he opened his mouth to say…he knew not what. An apology, an explanation, but he didn’t know which words could possibly convey how sorry he truly was or ever excuse his actions. But before he could so much as try to string a sentence together Obi-Wan held up his hand, silencing Qui-Gon, and continued to speak, his eyes starting to take on a far away look.

“You had been my last hope and when you said no that was it for me. I packed my bags and boarded a transport to become a farmer like every other failed initiate.

“But we never made it to Bandomeer. Halfway through the voyage some pirates attacked the ship. We had no weapons, no way of defending ourselves, and not enough escape pods for all the passengers. All it took was one blast from an ion cannon and we were dead in space. I did what I could, ushering people to the pods while there was time, but then the pirates breached the hull.

“Like a good Jedi I ran forward to fight them and hold them off for as long as possible to let the others escape, but I had no delusions about escaping myself. There were just too many of them and it didn’t take long for them to subdue me.

“I thought they would just kill me then and there but instead they shoved a pair of stun cuffs on me and dragged me onto their ship. It seems they were prepared too because once I was on they slapped a Force inhibitor around my neck. They threw me into the hold where I was soon joined by the other passengers that had failed to escape. I forget how many of us there were, too many. None of us knew for sure what would happen although I could guess.

“We could feel the ship pull away and, even though I was terrified, I contented myself with the knowledge that some of the passengers had managed to escape. Then I heard the sound of laser cannons. They fired over and over and I wasn’t sure just what they were firing at until it hit me: they were shooting down the escape pods. Even the people I had tried to help had suffered and I know if it weren’t for the inhibitor I would’ve felt each and every one of them snuffed out in the Force.

“We traveled for a while, maybe a few days, then finally landed on a world somewhere in Hutt Space, though I still don’t know where. They lined us up on the auction block and each of us went to the highest bidder.

“I know I told you I had escaped before. I lied. A cruel man bought me and and dragged me to his home world. It was largely an agricultural world so he owned a shop selling produce, and it was my job to mind the store when he wasn’t there. Or, when he was, he sent me to work on his fields and gardens, grab all the crops. Even as a slave I couldn’t escape becoming a farmer.

“I spent two years there. Two years of beatings and whippings and little food and water. Two years without feeling the Force. I thought I was going to go mad.

“Then a man came and visited, a nice older man. Ostensibly he was there to see my master about something, I couldn’t say what, but as he was leaving we crossed paths. I think he must have recognized the inhibitor around my neck.

“He was kind, the first person who had been kind to me in so long, and just talked to me for a while. He talked to me like I was a person, like I mattered. Then he made me an offer: he would rescue me if I agreed to become his apprentice.

“I had no idea what he meant at the time but I figured anything was better than slavery and fourteen year old me didn’t think to ask too many questions, so I agreed. Later that night he came for me, spirited me away from the estate, and brought me to his home planet.

“He was kind, almost fatherly, at first. He had a country estate, a vacation home of sorts, and he put me up there. The house was fully staffed, so I never wanted for anything, and he arranged for a tutor to come and finish my education. He told me I needed to stay hidden because if anyone found out who and where I was the Jedi would come take me away and finally send me to the Agricorps. And I believed him. Now I’m not sure if that was true or not but I can’t say I regret my decision to stay with him. After all, he trained me.

“He was a–” Obi-Wan stopped suddenly and cleared his throat. “He had a job that frequently took him off planet, but he made an effort to see me at least once a month. He always asked about my ‘adventures on the home front’ as he called them, and sometimes he brought me gifts from his travels. Honestly it was the best time of my life. I’d completely forgotten about the second half of his offer.

“It was about a year later when he brought it up again, the apprenticeship. I thought he meant I’d be learning about his job, maybe take over when he retired, and I guess in a way I was right. But that was when he let me in on his secret: he was a Sith Lord. I remember feeling shocked–he had impeccable shields and I was out of practice so I had no idea he was even Force-sensitive, much less a Sith–but I wasn’t afraid. If anything, I was eager. Because finally there was someone who thought I was worth teaching.”

Qui-Gon tried and failed to hide a wince but Obi-Wan either didn’t notice or chose not to mention it as he plowed on.

“He promised to teach me all he knew: the Dark side of the Force, Sith Alchemy, combat skills, everything he thought I might need, and I learned fast. He told me he saw great potential in me, great power, and he promised to nurture that, to help me fully realize what and who I could be. He could be a harsh Master, sometimes even cruel, but it was what I needed to learn. He taught me to become the man you see before you.

“But unfortunately, before I could fully complete my training, he died. I never found out exactly how although I still have my suspicions, but no matter. In the end I mourned him little. For all that he did for me he kept our relationship very strictly professional once my apprenticeship began so we weren’t ever exactly close. Truth be told I couldn’t tell you all that much about him even if I wanted to other than maybe his species. He was a Muun, by the way, in case I forgot to mention. But with him dead I had to move on. So fast forward a number of years and here I am.”

His vision cleared and he came back to himself with a start. “I don’t know why I told you all that. That was stupid of me.” He slapped a hand over his face and shook his head, clearly berating himself.

Thoughts whirled through Qui-Gon’s mind– _If Obi-Wan’s Master had died then who was the Sith Master? Are there two Sith lineages? How did Obi-Wan start working with the other Sith? Should I contact the Council? Is any of this even useful to them? Would telling them be the right thing?_ –but he couldn’t focus on any of them. Instead he could only focus on the man before him. He reached out his hand and placed it on the man’s shoulder but stayed silent for a moment as he groped around for the right words to say. Finally he spoke, voice soft and gentle: “I think maybe you needed to say it. To tell someone about what you went through.” He hesitated again, weighing his next statement. “And,” he sighed, deciding to risk it, “I think maybe you needed to tell me.”

Obi-Wan finally removed his had from his face and looked at Qui-Gon. “And why would I need to tell you?”

“Because I’m the one who set you on this path to begin with. Telling me finally brings everything full circle. An ending, Some closure of sorts, maybe.”

“Perhaps you’re right,” Obi-Wan allowed, though I still don’t understand it.” He still looked upset with himself.

Qui-Gon moved his hand to Obi-Wan’s cheek, gently holding the man’s face. “Maybe you don’t have to.” He leaned closer and his voice quieted to just above a whisper. “Maybe you can just let it be.”

Before he was fully aware of what he was doing Qui-Gon closed the distance between the two of them. Obi-Wan’s lips were soft against his own, the kiss gentle and chaste. Then awareness seeped back into him and his eyes flew open as he reared back in shock.

“I-I’m sorry!” Qui-Gon stuttered, a dark blush heating his cheeks. “I didn’t, I mean, I wasn’t, I-mmf.“

Obi-Wan’s lips were back on his, smothering whatever words Qui-Gon might have said. This time the kiss was rougher, more hungry. Their mouths moved together and Qui-Gon felt Obi-Wan pull him closer, arms tight around his waist. Without thinking he threw his own arms around Obi-Wan, one hand against his back and the other cradling the back of his head, fingers tangled in ginger locks.

Obi-Wan pressed his tongue against Qui-Gon’s lips, asking for entrance, and Qui-Gon opened his mouth in acceptance. The kiss grew more heated, tongues and teeth clashing, but neither cared as they clung to each other, bodies flush together.

Qui-Gon let out a low moan as Obi-Wan sucked on his bottom lip. Then he suddenly found himself on his back, Obi-Wan lying on top of him with a knee slotted between his thighs. He moaned again, now painfully hard, and this time Obi-Wan joined him, letting out a high-pitched whine against his mouth. He pulled Obi-Wan even closer but it wasn’t close enough. He needed to feel skin on skin.

Slowly, as if asking a question, he played with the hem of Obi-Wan’s tunic, lifting it bit by bit. Obi-Wan broke the kiss and looked down at him with a smile. Then, as if in answer, he sat up fully and stripped off his tunic before diving back down to press his lips against Qui-Gon’s once more.

Without breaking the kiss Qui-Gon managed to shimmy almost all the way out of his own tunic, then pushed Obi-Wan back just long enough to pull the offending fabric up over his head. He threw it to the side and it landed somewhere on the floor of the cave, but at the moment he couldn’t care less where that was.

They moved against each other, erections straining at their leggings until Obi-Wan pulled back, an inquisitive look on his face. “Do you…” he whispered, running his fingers under Qui-Gon’s waistband for emphasis.

“Yes!” Qui-Gon whispered back emphatically. “Yesyesyesyesye-“ another kiss silenced him and, without even needing to look, Obi-Wan unlaced Qui-Gon’s leggings and freed his cock from their confines.

He started with slow strokes, taking care to play with the head. He removed his hand and Qui-Gon whined, only to watch him lick his palm for extra lubrication and go back to stroking.

Qui-Gon moaned and shuddered, lost in pleasure. Precum began to bead at the tip of his cock and Obi-Wan smeared the liquid over his shaft, picking up pace. “Obi-Wan!” he keened, bucking his hips into Obi-Wan’s fist. It was too much. It wasn’t enough. “Obi-Wan, please, I need-.“ He broke off with a cry as Obi-Wan circled a finger against his entrance before pressing into his warm heat. He moved the finger in and out in time with his strokes and Qui-Gon could do nothing but throw back his head and cry out.

Obi-Wan briefly pulled his finger out and Qui-Gon whined at the loss. Then he felt two fingers press inside him, this time going further to press against his prostate. That was enough to send him over the edge. He came with a shout spilling over Obi-Wan’s hand and his own stomach, shaking apart in absolute pleasure. He lay back, panting, eyes closed, and stroked his hands up and down Obi-Wan’s back.

Neither said anything for a moment and the only sound was Qui-Gon’s harsh breathing echoing through the cave. Slowly, as the older man came back to himself, he grew aware of a hardness pressing urgently against his thigh.

Without a word he flipped them over, pushing Obi-Wan onto his back and going straight for the man’s leggings. He fumbled with the laces for a moment then got them undone and tugged, Obi-Wan obligingly lifting his hips to pull them down to his knees.

Qui-Gon loomed over Obi-Wan, a wide grin stretched across his face, the ducked his head and, in one move, slammed Obi-Wan whole. He bobbed his head slowly at first. hallowing his cheeks and laving his tongue over the tip. Obi-Wan moaned and fisted his hands in Qui-Gon’s long hair. Then Qui-Gon pulled back until just the tip was in his mouth and sucked, taking special care to press his tongue against the glans, and Obi-Wan yelled, his cry echoing off the crystal walls. Faster and faster Qui-Gon moved, licking and sucking, until he felt Obi-Wan tap him on the head.

“Qui-Gon,” he moaned, “I’m-I’m gonna-“

Qui-Gon only sucked harder, mouth tight around Obi-Wan’s shaft. Then with a high-pitched scream, Obi-Wan came, shooting his cum down Qui-Gon’s throat and Qui-Gon swallowed every last drop. With a wet pop Qui-Gon pulled off Obi-Wan’s cock and licked his lips of any remaining cum. He lay down on the meditation mats next to a spent Obi-Wan and used the Force to call the blankets from Obi-Wan’s bag over to them.

“Good thing you brought these,” he chuckled hoarsely, spreading the blankets over the two of them.

“Never let it be said I’m not prepared,” Obi-Wan laughed in reply, still breathing hard.

Qui-Gon pulled Obi-Wan against him and the other man obliged, laying his head on Qui-Gon’s chest and gently stroking his side. Qui-Gob ran his fingers through Obi-Wan’s hair and ran his other hand up and down Obi-Wan’s back in random patterns.

He closed his eyes, completely sated, and the Force seemed to sing around him. Around them. Without another word both men closed their eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath and shit starts to get real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my wifi has been complete shit today and won't do the thing so I'm casually posting this from a Starbucks with the few minutes of time I have before I need to pick up my parents from the airport.
> 
> This is completely unedited because I just have not had the fucking time or spoons lately to do anything, so I apologize in advance for all the mistakes and shit that are probably there. If you see anything egregious feel free to point it out. Maybe I'll come back and edit this later, I dunno.
> 
> Also I'm sorry I haven't really gotten around to replying to comments–again, haven't had the time–but I promise I have read them all and appreciate them so, so much and will reply to them soon!!
> 
> Thank you everyone who has left kudos and comments, you folks are the best, and thank you for everyone who has stuck with this story!!

Qui-Gon woke slowly. It was still slightly dark but a he could see a faint glow from behind his eyelids and he felt himself lying on a rather hard, solid surface. He blinked his eyes open and for a moment stared in confusion, unable to figure out where he was–then the details of the night before started to surface.

He was in the crystal caves. He and Obi-Wan had come to meditate. Obi-Wan had finally opened up to him. Then they had…

Shock swept over him and Qui-Gon felt a blush begin to heat his cheeks. He couldn’t believe he had just slept with Obi-Wan, a man he had only known for a short while and a Sith to boot. The Council was going to kill him.

The other man had yet to wake up so Qui-Gon took a few moments to compose himself. It was fine. They were both adults, it had been consensual, it had been…he groped around for a word but struggled to find one.

“Amazing?”

He whipped around and found himself staring into a pair of blue-green eyes–still not yellow, he noted. “What?”

“The word you were looking for, to describe last night, I think amazing would suffice.” Obi-Wan chuckled lightly then lifted his arms above his head in a stretch.

“How did you know I was thinking about last night?”

Obi-Wan cocked his head. “What do you mean? You were talking to yourself, and you weren’t exactly being quiet about it either.”

“No I wasn’t.”

“Well then you must not have been shielding very well because I could hear you loud and clear.”

Qui-Gon checked his shields, a tad embarrassed, but as he examined them he found them to be just as strong and steady as always.

“They can’t be that strong, otherwise how would I…” Obi-Wan trailed off and a look of horror suddenly spread across his face. “Kriff.”

Qui-Gon reeled back in surprise as he caught the train of Obi-Wan’s thoughts. “You don’t think…”

“Perfect telepathy,” Obi-Wan said softly, almost in awe. “It must have happened when we…but is that even possible?”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and retreated into his mind, examining his shields and the bond. Suddenly, Qui-Gon felt an abrupt sense of loss, like a part of him had been torn away. “No,” he gasped. “What did you do?”

Obi-Wan opened his eyes again and everything returned to normal. “I tried heavily shielding just the bond, almost like cutting if off on my end. I could feel it too; it was…painful. Like something had been ripped out of me.”

“So what does this mean?” Qui-Gon asked.

“I don’t know yet exactly but I think the bond has changed. I think it’s stronger now, deeper. Like we can hear each other’s thoughts and feel each other’s emotions as if our shields were wide open. Let’s test it: think something right now.”

Qui-Gon wracked his brain for something and settled on mentally reciting a poem he’d had to memorize as a youngling.

Obi-Wan smiled. “I remember that poem. They taught it to us in the creche.” Then his smile faded as if he realized he had just spoken fondly of the Jedi and shook his head as if to physically clear out the thought. “Well,” he cleared his throat, “we know it works.”

“So again, I must ask, what does this mean? For us and for the bond?”

“That’s going to take some research and maybe some testing, but I have a few theories to look into. I suppose today is going to be a research day, so I’ll be joining you in the library. For now, though, I think if we both try lightly shielding just the bond itself we’ll be able to cut off the involuntary flow of everything.

“Anyway,” he said, checking his wrist chrono, “it’s almost mid-morning; we should get going.”

“All right,” Qui-Gon said and got up.

The two folded up the blankets and rolled up the meditation mats, stuffing both inside Obi-Wan’s bag and placed the lamp carefully on top. Obi-Wan shouldered the pack and made to leave the tunnel, Qui-Gon just behind him, when a thought occurred to the older man.

“Obi-Wan?” he asked hesitantly. “About last night. Do you–“

“No,” Obi-Wan interrupted, already guessing his train of thought. “I don’t regret it and no I’m not sorry.

“Now come on, we have a ways to drive.” Without so much as a glance over his shoulder Obi-Wan walked toward the cave entrance. For his part, Qui-Gon pondered the other man’s answer.

 _So he doesn’t regret it. Does that mean he liked it? Or…liked_ me? _Is that a good thing? Do I_ want _him to have enjoyed it? How is this going to change things?_

Thoughts whirled around Qui-Gon’s mind but Obi-Wan was kind enough not to acknowledge those that he could feel leaking past his imperfect shielding and let Qui-Gon maintain at least the appearance of privacy. Or maybe he was too lost in his own thoughts to take notice; Qui-Gon certainly was. They both climbed into the sleek, black speeder and the ride home proceeded in silence.

 _When did I start to think of that place as home?_ Qui-Gon wondered.

 

Anakin shielded his eyes from the sunlight as he stepped off his ship and into the Dantooinian spaceport. He’d gotten lucky at Ciutric–at the first fueling station he found the owner had seen Obi-Wan pass through (though he hadn’t seen Qui-Gon, but Anakin wasn’t going to let that concern him just yet). The human man hadn’t known exactly where they were going but he could at least point Anakin in the right direction.

From there it had been a tedious trip through the Veragi trade route, stopping at each planet and both asking around at the spaceport and nearby town as well as searching with his senses through the Force to see of there was any sign of his missing Master or the Sith. Anakin through himself into the search and spent every moment on each world looking for the smallest hint of information or any sign his quarry had been there, refusing to leave any stone unturned. But in the hours after the search, the hours spent traveling between worlds, a dark and heavy anxiety claimed him.

He had no idea what the Sith wanted with his Master ( _or if the Sith even has your Master_ a voice in his head reminded him, but he quickly shut it off) or what might be waiting for him when he eventually found the Sith’s hideout. For all he new Qui-Gon could be undergoing some kind of horrible torture, could be injured or sick and locked away in a cell without medical treatment, could even be dying. There was also the chance that, when he found the Sith, Qui-Gon wouldn’t be there at all and this wild nerf chase would all have been for nothing. But he chose not to dwell on that; he would fond Qui-Gon, the Force was with him on this. Or so he hoped.

He spent the empty hours distracting himself with some kind of mechanical task, fixing something on the ship, rewiring the consul to make things function better, upgrading the hyperdrive. By the time he landed on Dantooine the _Twilight_ may as well have been a new ship on the inside. And all that said nothing of the work he had done on his arm over the days.

It was early afternoon and the sun (Dina, if he remembered correctly) was bright overhead and quickly warmed his mostly black civilian clothing. After paying the docking fee and making sure his ship was locked up tight he headed deeper into the spaceport and looked for somewhere to rent a speeder. He was rewarded about ten minutes later with a small shop that housed a contingent of speeder bikes. Each looked like they had seen better days but Anakin didn’t have time to be picky.

“That’ll be fifty for the bike,” the Duros owner said. “And I expect you to return it in pristine conditions.”

“I will,” Anakin promised as he handed over a fistful of Confederacy credits, nearly the last of the small stash he’s managed to acquire. Then before he left he though to ask, “Any chance you’ve seen some people I’m looking for? Two humans, one very tall with long brown and gray hair, the other about average height with red hair?”

The shopkeeper thought for a moment and Anakin worried he was going to have to grease his palm with a few more credits, but the man finally just shook his head. “No, haven’t seen anyone like that. You could try asking around town, though.”

“Will do. Thanks anyway,” Anakin called as he straddled the speeder bike. With that he took off to ask around and see if he could find any leads.

It took awhile and a lot of unsuccessful inquiries, but he finally stumbled upon a clothing shop run by an older human women.

“Hey,” Anakin said, “I’m looking for someone, or two someones, and I was wondering if you could help me?”

“I can certainly try,” she replied. “What do they look like?”

“One is really tall, like 200 centimeters with long grey and brown hair he usually pulls back into a half nerftail. The other one is shorter, about average height, with red hair and he has yellowish eyes. His name is Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

“Let me think…” She tapped her chin as she pondered. “I know I haven’t seen the first one but I believe I know the second person you mentioned. He came in a while ago. I remember he bought several tunics and leggings that were much too big for him as well as a rather interesting pair of pants. I can’t say for sure where he lives but I know when he left his speeder was headed east.”

“East,” Anakin said with a small amount of exasperation. “Ok, well that’s something.”

“Well there is a large estate owned by the Matale family to the east. Maybe he is a guest of theirs or lives nearby. I’m sorry, that is the most information I can give you.”

“It’s ok, you’ve given me some to go on. The Matale estate, you said? Ok, I’ll head that way. Thanks for your help.”

“Of course, young man. Safe travels to you.”

Anakin left the shop and hopped back on his speeder bike. He still didn’t have much to go on but what the lady had told him was better than nothing– _and who knows,_ he said to himself, _maybe the Force will give me a hand here_ –so he spun the bike around and headed east.

 

The chirping comm station pulled Obi-Wan out of his meditation. He took his time, stretching with his arms above his head until he heard a satisfying pop, then stood to answer the call. There were a limited number of people who knew his comm frequency, only two really, and either way it was not likely to be a pleasant conversation so he steeled himself for whatever came next.

He pressed the button to receive the call. “Kenobi.”

“Ah, Descarado, so good to speak with you again.”

He suppressed a shiver at low, almost slimy-sounding voice as he knelt in a bow. “Master, to what do I owe this honor?” He noted with satisfaction that he kept his voice calm and steady with just the right amount of deference.

“I have an important task for you, a mission to complete,” Sidious replied.

He nearly winced. Now was _really _not the time for a mission, not with Qui-Gon still there. He wasn’t sure he could trust his bonded there alone and they still had so much work to do, so much to research. a small voice inside him taunted but he quickly shut it down before he could really consider it. No matter what he had to find a way out of this.__

__“I am flattered, my Master,” he began, silently praying to whatever Force gods might be listening that his next words would get him killed. “But surely, if this task is so important, it should be entrusted to Tyranus, him being more experienced and my superior.”_ _

__“Tyranus is occupied and this mission takes place right outside your door, so it falls to you to complete.”_ _

__“Then maybe I should wait until Tyranus finishes his own mission so he can come and provide support. That way we can make sure everything is completed to your liking.”_ _

__“Tell me, Descarado,” Sidious began softly, “is there a reason you are trying to avoid this mission? Why you seem to need to question my judgement.”_ _

__“N-no, my Lord.” Obi-Wan winced at the stutter. “I am merely trying to exercise prudence.”_ _

__“Ah, prudence, you say, how conscientious of you. And that is the only reason?”_ _

__“Yes, Master.”_ _

__“Really? So then your reluctance has nothing to do with the pet Jedi you are currently keeping in your care?” The end of the sentence became a snarl. “That’s right, Descarado, I know all about your extended playdate.”_ _

__“Master, I swear, I can explai–“ Obi-Wan’s words cut off as he felt a pressure tighten around his throat. His feet lifted clear off the ground as the phantom grip on his neck tightened._ _

__“First you refuse an order, then you lie to me, and then you try to give me excuses. Do not test me in this way, not if you place any value on your life. Now here is what you are going to do: you are going to silently listen to me describe the mission to you, you will carry out said mission, and, if you complete it to my liking, I will keep your punishment light. Do you understand me?”_ _

__Obi-Wan nodded painfully, struggling to bob his head with Sidious’s Force grip still contracting his airway._ _

__“I have just received information that the Jedi Council is sending Master Windu to Dantooine. The Republic is looking to take back the planet so they are sending him on a preliminary scouting mission. Your task is to find him and eliminate him as well as any troopers or Republic agents that may accompany him. Do so quickly and quietly. I expect to hear results in the next few days. Do _not_ fail me.”_ _

__Sidious released his grip and Obi-Wan fell gasping to the floor, pulling in shallow, shaking breaths. He struggled to pull himself into a kneeling position and bowed his head. “I will not, my Master,” he said, voice hoarse form lack of air._ _

__“Good. And one more thing.” His voice grew deadly calm. “Before seeing to your mission you must take care of one other thing: Jinn. I believe he may be a hindrance to you so he must be dealt with. Kill him. And do so quickly.” Without another word he shut off the comm call, leaving a stunned Obi-Wan Kenobi still breathing raggedly when he knelt._ _

__Before he could get up he heard the sound of running feet outside the door and Qui-Gon burst in, looking panicked._ _

__“Obi-Wan!” he shouted and dove to the floor beside the other man, one hand on Obi-Wan’s back and the other cupping his cheek. “I felt it through the bond–you were hurting; it was like I couldn’t breathe. What happened?”_ _

__“I’m fine,” Obi-Wan insisted, “I jus-“ and he broke into a coughing fit before he could even finish his sentence._ _

__“Clearly you are not fine. Just tell me what happened.”_ _

__“That’s not important right now. We have more important things to worry about: Master Windu is on his way here as we speak.”_ _

__

__Mace had just turned his head from where he sat in the passenger’s chair of their freighter to speak with Ponds when he felt something in the Force. It started as a niggling feeling, just a small flutter at the edge of his consciousness, but grew at a steady pace until the Force howled like a storm. In his mind’s eye he saw a wide fissure cracking and growing in size. It was a shatterpoint, a massive one at that. And he was flying headlong into it._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little behind on writing rn and only have the next chapter mostly done, so while I'm gonna try to buckle down and write so I can keep posting weekly there may be a gap. I'll see how it goes. If any of you know of some secret way to acquire more spoons please tell me!!
> 
> Find me on tumblr @aphorisnt


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin and Mace arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I missed last week!! Shit happened and I just wasn't able to post but I am back now. I'm still nearing the end of my buffer (I literally only have one more chapter mostly typed) but I'm gonna try to keep posting consistently from here to the end of this thing.
> 
> Also I actually did some editing this time!! So this chapter won't look like complete shit lmao. Hope you folks enjoy!
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos and comments (which I have finally gotten around to replying) and I appreciate each and every one of you for leaving them!!
> 
> Also, guess what make a cameo in this chapter ^_0

He was about to give up searching and head back to the spaceport when Anakin spotted a small cluster of buildings on the horizon. The outer walls were a somber-looking durasteel gray and he could see the light reflecting off what he assumed to be windows.

He brought his speeder bike as close as he dared, then slowed to a stop. He would have to approach this carefully. For lack of a better place to put it he walked the bike over to the nearest shrubby tree, parking it on the side facing away from the house. Not that the tree provided much in the way of cover but it was the best he could do with what he had. Then he took a deep breath and reached for a near-meditative state. He had never been very good at the whole meditation thing, what with how much he loathed most things to do with the cerebral side of the Force, but he concentrated and blanked his Force signature as much as he could. The last thing he needed was for the Sith to sense him coming. He took out a pair of macrobinoculars and surveyed the compound for any sign of life or movement near the windows and, seeing none, stowed them back on his belt and began his approach.

He moved slowly towards the most outlying building, taking care to keep both an ear and eye out for any signs of life. He kept his steps soft and tried not to rustle the grasses to much while he walked. When he arrived at the building he crept up and pressed himself flat against the wall, just breathing, while he stretched out his senses. Two Force signatures–one light, one dark, both strong–somewhere further inside but so far neither had seemed to take notice of him.

Glancing around, he found himself leaning against a garage, the small structure flush against what he took to be the Sith’s actual home. The large door at the front led inside but he feared activating it would make too much noise and alert the Sith to his presence, so he looked for an alternate entrance. He spent a moment walking around the building, then found what he was looking for: there, on the outermost wall, was a small window, just large enough for him to fit through. Using the Force he slid the transparisteel pane to the side, leapt up and grabbed the sill, scrambling through the opening to land in a crouch on the other side.

The first thing he noticed was the landspeeder, a sleek, black, and by the looks of it relatively new MandalMotors LUX-3. He stared at it covetously. Whoever this Sith was he certainly had money and great kriffing taste in speeders. He was tempted to approach it, maybe just run his hand over the body or take a quick peak at the engine but thought better of it. There was no telling what kind of security system the Sith might have.

The next thing he noticed was a door on the other side of the garage that looked like it led into the rest of the compound. There wasn’t any keypad or card reader or anything that he could see, so it appeared to be unlocked. Maybe the Force was actually with him on this. He approached the door slowly and hit the release, wincing at the whooshing sound it made when it opened, and crept inside, first poking his head through the opening then sliding in the rest of the way.

A short off-white hallway led to the rest of the house. It was a simple place, open and completely unadorned in sharp contrast to the ostentatious speeder back in the garage. He couldn’t hear any voices yet but the Force still urged him on to where he felt two signatures very near each other. He took careful steps into a large foyer and looked around for the most likely path. There to the left was another hallway, but this one was much longer and lined with doors. It looked as good a place to start as any.

He didn’t risk actually opening any of the doors but stood outside each and reached out with his senses to see if he could sense anything or anyone on the other side. The first few rooms yielded nothing, just traces in the Force, but as he crept further along the signatures grew in strength, especially the Sith’s. His aura practically saturated some of the rooms, leaving Anakin nearly choking on the darkness. It was so thick that it was impossible to pick out the place where it was strongest, and Anakin wasn’t about to go randomly guessing and opening doors so he tried to latch onto Qui-Gon instead.

It was difficult at first, the near-palpable darkness cloaking everything around it, but slowly he zeroed in on a spark of light. As he focused more the spark grew in size and power, signaling what could only be a trained Jedi. Qui-Gon. He wanted to race down the hall as fast as his feet could carry him but this time he held himself back from charging right in. He had to be stealthy here.

Again he went door by door, examining each for any sign of his Master. He sensed traces of Qui-Gon behind a few but none strong enough to be the genuine article. Then, finally, he came upon the door he was searching for. It looked like all the others but his Master’s presence shone clearly from the other side. Anakin worried what he might find: his Master chained up, tortured, sick, bruised and bloody; there was no telling what the Sith might have done to him. He placed his hand over the release and was about to press it when-

“Hello there.”

Anakin cursed himself for not sensing the presence coming up behind him but slightly patted himself on the back for managing to stay calm and not jump a good meter into the air. In one motion he called his lightsaber from his belt, the hilt smacking into palm, and whirled around to face the man behind him. His eyes widened. “You,” he growled. “It was you. Where is he? Where is my Master?” He was shouting now, fear and fury both bright in his eyes.

“Ah, the ‘Hero with No Fear,’” Obi-Wan replied nonchalantly. “Skywalker, isn’t it? Now you’re not who I was expecting to see. Pleased to finally meet you; to what do I owe the honor?”

“Where. Is. He?” Anakin ground out slowly. He flicked his ‘saber on and held it right at Obi-Wan’s throat.

Obi-Wan pulled his own ‘saber from his belt but did not ignite it. Instead, he just stared at Anakin with a puzzled look on his face. “You mean he didn’t tell you? I was under the impression you at least had some idea. I could’ve sworn I saw him make a comm call.”

“Don’t play games with me!” he shouted. “What have you done with my Master? Just how bad have you hurt him?”

“Hurt him? I assure you, Knight Skywalker, I haven’t the faintest idea what y-“

Before Obi-Wan could finish his sentence Anakin moved to swing his ‘saber clean through his neck. Obi-Wan jumped out of the way at the last second and Anakin cursed. But it was no matter; he would take the Sith down no matter what.

The Sith’s blade lit with a blood red glow and Obi-Wan held it at the ready but did not move. “Calm yourself,” he said to Anakin’s harsh glare. “I’m not here to fight you.”

“Well too bad,” Anakin snarled, “Because I’m here to fight you.”

 

Qui-Gon was several layers deep into his stack of data pads when he heard sounds coming from the hall. Muffled voices getting louder–was that shouting?–and then…a lightsaber? The sound of two blade clashing launched him out of his chair and straight to the door at a speed quick for even a Jedi. He had no idea what was going on but that didn’t matter. Obi-Wan was in danger.

When the door slid open (much to slowly for his liking) he already had his lightsaber hilt in hand and was prepared to join the fray when the sight stopped him cold. It was Obi-Wan, all right, blocking and parrying with his signature Soresu, but it was the opponent that stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Anakin?” he questioned, shock clear in his voice.

It took him a minute to respond, but when Anakin looked up from where his blade was locked with Obi-Wan’s his expression changed from one of fury to confusion. “Master?” His mouth hung open for a moment in shock. Qui-Gon stood before him looking completely and utterly fine. There wasn’t a scratch on the Master, no sign of him being imprisoned or tortured. In fact, he looked good, clean and well fed and dressed in what looked to be new clothes. And what were those pants? Skin tight synth leather? What had his Master been doing? Now he wasn’t sure he wanted to know all the details now.

Obi-Wan took the opportunity to disengage their blades and flipped over Anakin’s head, landing softly next to Qui-Gon. He deactivated his lightsaber and stowed it back on his belt.

“Padawan, how are you here?” Qui-Gon asked incredulously.

“You disappeared. The Council said you didn’t show up to meet with them and when they asked around no one had seen you for days. Nobody could find you. I couldn’t find you. So I came looking.”

“But _how_ did you find me.”

“Dex,” Anakin replied, as if the answer should be obvious. “But that’s not important. What happened? Are you hurt? Did he hurt you? Why did he take you? How long have you been here? Why aren’t you locked up in a cell somewhere for me to come rescue you? Did you escape? Why don’t you get away from him? Why aren’t you fighting? Why are you wearing those pants? What’s going on here?” He spat out the flurry of questions as fast as his brain could form them, barely giving Qui-Gon time to register one before he moved on to the next.

“Whoa, whoa, slow down, Padawan,” Qui-Gon said gently, holding up his hands for emphasis. “One question at a time.”

Before Anakin could begin Obi-Wan stepped forward. “I believe I can be of some help here.” He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I’m not going to hurt anyone, I give you my word.

“Now, Qui-Gon, why don’t you start from the beginning and explain to your former Padawan just how it is that you came to be here.”

Qui-Gon awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s a bit of a long story…”

“Well make it short and tell it before he tries to decapitate me again.”

That brought an expression of shock to Qui-Gon’s face. “He what?”

“Later,” Obi-Wan admonished. “Story. Now.”

“Ok. Where to begin?” Qui-Gon cleared his throat and to ready to speak. “I suppose it started the first time we ever crossed paths…”

As he worked his way through the tale Qui-Gon was overcome with the simultaneous urge to laugh and wince in shame every time Anakin’s eyes grew larger and his jaw more slack. He left out some details (certainly omitting last night) and cut the part about Obi-Wan’s story, but the overview he gave was solid enough.

“But wait, what do you mean you’re ‘bonded?’ Explain that.”

Qui-Gon sighed. “We’re still trying to make sense of it ourselves, but we believe, at least based on what our research has turned up, that we have what is known as a soul bond. The Force willed our souls to be forever bound together, and so they are.”

“And before you get any ideas,” Obi-Wan chimed in, “please refrain from killing me as doing so would also cost the life of your dear Master here if the legends I’ve found hold any truth.”

“What?” Qui-Gon whipped his head around to stare at Obi-Wan.

“It’s something I found in one of the texts. It was just a legend so I can’t say for sure if there really is anything to it, and I was going to wait until I found a more concrete source of information before I said anything, but I rather think Knight Skywalker has forced the issue.”

That possibility caught Qui-Gon completely off-guard. He knew that he and Obi-Wan were connected through the Force, but to have their very life forces entertained so permanently was not something he had even considered. But now was not the time to dwell on that information.

Anakin, on the contrary, was not about to let that go. “I’m sorry, what in the kark did you just say?”

“If I die, there is a chance Qui-Gon will as well. And vice versa.”

That left Anakin rather stunned and he had no idea what to do next. Standard procedure dictated he try to eliminate the Sith threat to the galaxy, but if it would kill his Master too his hands were tied.

“Besides,” Obi-Wan continued, “we have a greater concern at the moment; it’s actually what I was coming to speak with you about, Qui-Gon. We don’t have much time left before Windu arrives and we need to make a plan.”

“Wait, Mace is coming?”

“Apparently the Council decided to extend the Outer Rim Sieges even further,” Qui-Gon said drily, trying to put any upset aside.

“But he’ll kill you when he gets here,” Anakin said, gesturing to Obi-Wan.

“Exactly why we need to form a plan.”

“What if I comm to him? I won’t say exactly what’s going on but I can tell him that we’re here and give him a head’s up that there’s a situation and he needs to listen before he does anything. I’m sure I can get him to listen to me,” he said with more confidence than he felt.

“I think that might be a good idea, Anakin,” Qui-Gon said, walking forward to place a hand on his former Padawan’s shoulder. “Force knows he’s unlikely to listen to me at this point. Just try to _diplomatically,_ ” he emphasized, “ask him to hear us out before he makes any moves.”

“Ok, ok, will do,” Anakin groaned, and reached for his comm.

 

The transport landed in the grass a short distance away from the compound. After conferring briefly with his commander, the Korun Master jumped when the ramp lowered, using the Force to gain some extra distance. He and approached the waiting party of Anakin and Qui-Gon, the latter of whom was now clad in a pair of leggings instead.

“Ok, Skywalker, start talking. Whatever it was you ‘couldn’t tell me over a comm call’ I want to hear it now.”

“Well,” Qui-Gon began.  
“Not you,” Mace interrupted. “I will deal with you later, and believe me when I say it will not be a pleasant experience for any of us. Now, _Skywalker_. Talk.”

“Actually, Master, I think you’d better let Qui-Gon explain this one.”

Mace pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Ok, fine. Master Jinn, if you would?”

“Why don’t we go inside first,” Qui-Gon offered and turned to enter the compound.

Mace again sighed in exasperation. He just wanted some answers, and the sooner the better, but he followed Qui-Gon and Anakin into the compound nonetheless. “Do you mind telling me where we are?” he asked. “And why this place reeks of the Dark Side?”

“I believe I can answer that.” A ginger-haired man strode calmly into the foyer and Mace didn’t need to see his molten yellow eyes to know this man was a Sith, the very one of Qui-Gon’s reports and that same failed Initiate he had not seen in over a decade. He didn’t wait for an explanation and instead just flicked his ‘saber on, glaring at the man before him.

“Mace, stop!” Qui-Gon yelled and he jumped in front of the Master with his arms raised.

“That is a Sith Lord!” Mace yelled angrily, refusing to drop his guard.

“I know, but I promise, there is an explanation for all of this if you will put away your blade and just listen.”

“Please, Master Windu,” Anakin joined in, and Mace was surprised to hear a bit of deference in his tone. “This will all make more sense after Qui-Gon explains.”

With another sigh, Mace deactivated his blade. “Why do I get the feeling you two will be the death of me?” he said mostly to himself. “All right, fine, talk. But I still reserve the right to kill him,” he gestured to the Sith, “if need be.”

So far the Sith hadn’t said another word or moved from where he stood at the juncture of the foyer and hallway. He hadn’t drawn his own blade. Something was going on here and he couldn’t come up with even the faintest idea of what it was.

“Mace, this is Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan, Mace,” Qui-Gon introduced. “Though I believe you have met before,” he added so quietly Mace almost didn’t catch it. He would’ve asked but he figured that would be included in the coming explanation so he held his tongue for the time being.

“So it all started the first time Obi-Wan and I encountered each other,” Qui-Gon began.

Mace listened to the entire explanation with the outward appearance of calm. He kept a stoic expression on his face and refrained from interrupting to ask questions. Inside, however, his mind was churning. _A bond? With a Sith? And a Force-forsaken soul bond at that. I thought those were supposed to be a myth, but leave it to Qui-Gon to prove it a reality, damn him. But what does this mean for Qui-Gon, to be forever bonded to a Sith? How do we handle this? How do we protect him? _He cycled between anger and fear, furious with his friend for running off and forming a bond with a Sith Lord of all people and intensely worried for what would happen to his friend now. Force, he needed to meditate. And call the Council.__

__At the end of Qui-Gon’s explanation he stayed silent for a moment, trying to figure out what to say next. Then he took a deep breath. “So what you’re saying is you found out you were somehow bonded to a Sith and then, without telling anyone, ran off to the edges of the Outer Rim with said Sith where you have been ever since, and have formed a soul bond.”_ _

__“Well, the Force formed the soul bond,” Qui-Gon clarified._ _

__“That is not the point,” he ground out. “Why didn't you come to the Council with this?”_ _

__“Because I knew you would keep me Temple locked and wouldn’t let me find any answers.”_ _

__“It would’ve been for your own safety.”_ _

__“Well I can assure you, I am perfectly safe.”_ _

__“Yes, I can see that you are,” he said flatly. Beneath his ire though, Mace felt real worry, For all that he and Qui-Gon butted heads he still considered the man a friend and to have him irrevocably tied to a Sith like this–Force, what was he to do?_ _

__“Well, you leave me no choice.” He activated his lightsaber again and approached the Sith. “Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are under arrest. I am taking you back to Coruscant where you will be placed in the custody of the Jedi Council. We will decide what to do with you from there.”_ _

__The Sith tensed, looking as if he was going to fight back for a moment, then sighed and raised his arms, clearly seeing he had no other option. Mace stepped forward and grabbed the pair of stuncuffs from his belt to place around the Sith’s wrists and ushered Obi-Wan out of the compound and toward the transport, Qui-Gon and Anakin close behind._ _

__“Ponds,” he said into his comm as the procession marched forward, “I need you to ready the brig. We have a prisoner. And get a Force inhibitor; this one is a Sith.”_ _


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting with the council

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, folks, we are getting close to the end!! Besides this I have one more chapter started and one more outlined and depending on how things go those may be the last two (though I may need to split one of them).
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck with this fic and especially all you lovely people who left comments and kudos!!!

The room was in complete uproar. Councilors argued and yelled and debated, both verbally and mentally, and the Force swirled with various degrees of outrage. The voices and emotions whirled around him at a dizzying speed and yet he took no notice of any of it. In that moment Obi-Wan’s entire world shrank down to the pair of sad brown eyes staring straight into his own. No words flowed between them as Obi-Wan kept his thoughts tightly shielded and the only clue to Yoda’s emotions were his drooping ears and those dull melancholy eyes.

Force, how long had it been since he had last seen the old troll? He did the mental math; it had been just over thirteen years. Of course he had kept up with Yoda’s exploits during the war, his Master had kept him appraised of all he knew of the Jedi’s actions, but this was different. Actually standing before him, looking into his eyes, feeling his presence in the Force–Obi-Wan had no idea what to do or how to feel so he stayed rooted to the spot and kept his face blank.

He knew what he _should_ feel, what he _wanted_ to feel–rage, hatred, possibly a little murderous intent–but he didn’t. Instead he felt…grief. But that was absurd, he had’t lost anything as of late, save for his freedom, but nothing else. And yet he still felt it. An ache in his chest, a tightness in the back of his throat, his fist clenched where they were bound in front of him, and the overwhelming sense that something important was missing.

Dimly, he became aware of someone calling his and when the voice finally pierced his consciousness he shook his head as if to clear it and came back to himself. 

“Kenobi!”

“Yes?” he asked, switching his gaze to meet Windu’s glare. He wondered if the man was even capable of smiling. “What is it I can do for you?”

“You can answer our questions,” Mace bit out. “Again, is what Qui-Gon said true? Do you have a soul bond?”

“You’re really asking the word of a Sith?” There, that was the suave control he kept over himself. He was getting back his bearings. “I thought you Jedi had branded us all liars.”

“Just answer the question, Sith.”

“Yes, it’s true. The Force willed it into being and now Qui-Gon Jinn and I are forever bound.”

“Like to examine your bond, I would.” It seemed the troll had finally found his voice.

Obi-Wan hesitated a moment, not wanting to meet the diminutive Master’s eyes as if he was afraid of what he would find there, but he steeled his resolved and switched his gaze over. “And how do you intend to do that, exactly?”

“Let me in you must. Your shields you and Qui-Gon must lower. Gentle I will be, I promise.”

Ah. There was the anger. “You want me to let you in my head? No! Absolutely not, I refuse to be violated in that fashion. You did enough damage trying to silence it with the suppressor.” he involuntarily shuddered at the memory of both him and Qui-Gon collapsing to the deck of Windu’s ship in agony when the collar had first gone on. Thank whatever Force deities they’d been able to slightly dampen the effects. “I refuse to let you wreak havoc with my mind again.”

“Promise I do that only the bond I will examine.”

“And if you refuse we can always call the healers and have one of them lower your shields for you,” Mace dangerously offered. Obi-Wan could tell the man was nearly at his wits’ end with all that had happened and as much as the Sith wanted to keep refusing he was starting to get the feeling he shouldn’t much Windu much further. The Korun Master would definitely make good on his threat. So he acquiesced.

“Fine, I will allow you to see just the bond. But if I feel you, _any_ of you,” he shifted his glare to take in the other gathered Councilors, “so much as brush against my other shields I am forcing you out immediately and you will get nothing more out of me. I don’t need full access to the Force to kick you out of my head.” At least he hoped he didn’t.

“Then let me see the bond,” Yoda prompted.

With a deep sigh Obi-Wan closed his eyes and reached out to the place in his mind he knew the bond to be and felt Qui-Gon do the same. Slowly, carefully, he withdrew his shields centimeter by centimeter until the bond was left bare. Everything else, though, he pulled durasteel shields tightly around.

He felt the gentle and all-too-painfully-familiar presence brush up against his mind, careful not to stray from the designated area. It was a gentle probe, far less invasive than he had imagined, and seemed to be just observing the bond.

He could feel Qui-Gon at the other end of the bond too. The man seemed nervous, like he too was uncomfortable with having a part of his mind examined so closely and worried what the troll might find there.

There was a gentle poke and then a brief, sharp pain exploded over the bond, the feeling that of being stabbed with a hot vibroblade and enough to make both men physically flinch. It was only for a moment but it was enough to drag Obi-Wan back to himself. He leveled a deadly glare at the room with his blazing yellow eyes, then focused his ire on the tiny Master directly in front of him.

“What,” he snarled in a low voice, “did you kriffing do?”

“Sorry, I am,” Yoda offered, notes of true contrition in his voice. “Only meant to examine the point of connection I did. Wanted I did to know it’s strength, to know it’s type of connection. And truly strong and deep it is. A soul bond this is.”

Absolute pandemonium swallowed up the rest of Yoda’s words. It didn’t matter that only five Masters were physically present, Yoda’s pronouncement was enough of a bombshell that the previous outrage paled in comparison.

Obi-Wan didn’t bother trying to listen; they could argue until they each choked on their own breath for all he cared. Some part of him was dimly aware of the irony of the situation, that he the Sith was maintaining a calm silence while the “Serene Masters of the Order” were in complete uproar, but in that moment he chose to shift his gaze to Qui-Gon.

It was the first time he had truly looked at the man since they had entered the chamber. He looked worn, violet circles under his eyes, hair a bit of a mess, and robes a tad rumpled. Clearly he hadn’t gotten much in the way of rest on the journey back to Coruscant and there was a tightness around his eyes that still spoke of the pain from the suppressor. Along the thin thread of the bond Obi-Wan could feel a tangle of emotions: frustration, exasperation, a touch of fear, and…a spark of amusement? How was some part of him enjoying this?

_Because it is amusing to watch the vaunted members of the Jedi Council, bastions of serenity and embodiments of the Code, reduced to squabbling_ , Qui-Gon sent mentally. He turned his head for a moment, catching Obi-Wan’s eye, and sent the man a wink.

So they _could_ still communicate? That surprised Obi-Wan a bit as he hadn’t been able to feel much more than a dim presence on the ship. Maybe it was the proximity. He suppressed a smile, the responded. _Funny, I was thinking the same thing_.Despite the fact that he and Qui-Gon were technically on opposite sides he felt a certain sense of solidarity with the man, like somehow they could be a united front against the chaos before them. _Are your Council meetings always like this? ___

___Well, mine tend to involve a good deal of arguing and reprimanding, so personally I suppose this isn’t too far off, but on the whole, no._ _ _

___Do you have any idea when they’ll stop?_ _ _

___Not really but probably whenever Yoda steps in to shut them up._ _ _

__As if reading Qui-Gon’s thoughts Yoda took that opportunity to bang his gimmer stick harshly against the floor. “Enough, that is.” Those two actions were enough and silence instantly descended upon the room. “Understand that upset and confused you are, really I do, but change things we cannot. Willed into being by the Force itself this bond was and deny or question it we cannot. Accept it we must.”_ _

__“So what does that mean for us?” Qui-Gon asked._ _

__“It means the Council is going to have a long talk about what to do next,” Mace answered as he dragged a hand down his face. “For the mean time, both of you are dismissed._ _

__“Qui-Gon, I want you to go check in with the healers, just to have them look over you. As for you,” he turned his attention to Obi-Wan, “you will be escorted to a holding cell. There are two Temple Guardians waiting outside the door; you will go with them and you will not raise any resistance.”_ _

__Qui-Gon bowed but Obi-Wan refused to give any outward sign of acknowledgement. Instead he walked straight to the door and, when it opened, into the arms of the two guards. They took a hold of his arms, one on each side, and began to steer him toward the turbolift._ _

__“Wait,” Qui-Gon called out, a few steps behind them. “Obi-Wan, I–I’m sorry. I’ll come visit you soon, I promise.”_ _

__Obi-Wan just nodded. He didn’t want to say any more in front of the guards. He turned back around and the trio strode into the lift, riding it down to the holding cells in one of the lower floors of the Temple. And with each subsequent floor his sense of Qui-Gon in the Force grew weaker and weaker, leaving him with an empty feeling ache._ _

__

__Qui-Gon managed to sit in the halls waiting for a healer for maybe all of a minute before he threw up his hands in defeat and stormed out. He couldn’t just sit there while Obi-Wan was locked away in a cell somewhere. He would go to the healers later, he told himself, even if it garnered him another of Yoda’s lectures on attachment. Right now Obi-Wan needed him._ _

__The cell was sparsely furnished, just a cot and a refresher station, and the ray shielding cast an almost eerie red glow over the inside of the room. Obi-Wan lay down on the cot, eyes closed and breathing even so that to most of the world he would appear to be asleep. But Qui-Gon could feel the thoughts and emotions running rampant through the man’s brain even through the Force suppressors. It took some effort but he finally managed to convinced the two guards to give them some privacy, assuring them that as a Jedi Master he was capable of being left alone with the prisoner, though they only agreed to give him ten minutes.._ _

__“I had a feeling you would come sooner or later,” Obi-Wan said as soon as the guards’ footsteps faded away. He didn’t move or even so much as open his eyes as he continued, “though you’re here sooner than I would’ve anticipated. So, what brings you to my humble abode?” He gestured to the cell._ _

__Qui-Gon hesitated; honestly he wasn’t entirely sure himself. “I just wanted to check on you,” he offered. “I wanted to make sure you were ok.”_ _

__“Well I’m locked up in a cell and almost entirely cut off from the Force so I don’t know if I would call myself ok,” Obi-Wan deadpanned._ _

__“You know what I meant. Also…I don’t know, I just felt like I _needed_ to be here, like I couldn’t leave you alone.”_ _

__Obi-Wan sighed and finally sat up, and to Qui-Gon’s surprise the man seemed to be sporting an almost gentle-looking smile. “I suppose I won’t say no to the company. How were the healers?”_ _

__“I didn’t go. It felt more important to come here.”_ _

__“I see,” Obi-Wan said, but the smile didn’t fade and Qui-Gon could feel the small spark of warmth his words had elicited. “So,” he continued, clearing his throat, “do you know what’s going to happen to me? Am I just going to be held here indefinitely or will I get a trial of some sort? I know they can’t execute me so I’m not sure what they plan on doing.”_ _

__“Honestly, I don’t know. I think that’s probably what the Council is arguing about now though I can’t say I really know what they’ll decide. Truthfully I’m not even sure what the options are…though I’m hoping one of them allows you some measure of freedom.”_ _

__“I would like that too.”_ _

__Qui-Gon suddenly had an idea. “Maybe we can make a deal with them!”_ _

__“Really? With your Council?” Obi-Wan asked skeptically. “Well, what kind of deal, then?”_ _

__“Well I know you have at least some information about the Separatists, maybe troop movements or planned targets? Or you could tell us what Dooku is up to? Or…” he trailed off as a thought suddenly occurred to him. “You know the identity of the Sith Master, don’t you?”_ _

__Obi-Wan didn’t respond and averted his eyes, keeping his expression carefully blank._ _

__“Obi-Wan? Do you?”_ _

__Obi-Wan sighed and turned back to meet Qui-Gon’s gaze once more. “It’s not that simple.”_ _

__“What do you mean?”_ _

__“I mean that _if_ I know the identity of the Master, and I’m neither confirming nor denying I do, you have to realize that there is no way I would survive the confession. Giving you even so much as a hint would put me right in their crosshairs and not even your entire Order would be able to protect me then.”_ _

__“Yes we could. No threat could be powerful enough to stop all of us. And I won’t let anything happen to you. I refuse to lose you.”_ _

__“Well since you’ll die too, technically you won’t.”_ _

__”Then I refuse to lose either of us. I’m going to keep you alive. Just please, consider telling them. It’s the only thing I can think of that would give them a reason to free you.”_ _

__“Time’s up!” a voice called before Obi-Wan had a chance to respond. The guards had returned._ _

__“Please, can I have just a little longer?” Qui-Gon entreated._ _

__“No, we can’t leave the prisoner unguarded for too long; there’s way to great a chance of him escaping,” one of the guards said._ _

__“Honestly, I can’t believe we agreed to give you this long,” the other chimed in._ _

__“Very well,” Qui-Gon acquiesced and started to walk away, but first he turned back to look at Obi-Wan one last time. “Remember what I said,” he called. “At least, just think about it.”_ _

__

__Qui-Gon retreated to his quarters after his visit to the healers–a rather long and tedious one since the mind healers had insisted on poking around in his head and hadn’t left him the slightest opportunity to escape their clutches. By the time they finished it was already night and after the events of the day, or really the past weeks, he was exhausted. He ate a quick dinner of what he had managed to grab from the commissary on his way back and with the last of his energy managed to fall into bed, clothes still on, boots and all._ _

__He slept fitfully for a few hours before sleep finally took hold. But it did not last. The dream began with a memory, he and Obi-Wan back on Dantooine meditating together. Obi-Wan sat before him with his face soft and eyes closed, and some part of Qui-Gon knew that if he were to open his eyes they would be that piercing blue, not the sickly yellow of the darkside. The thought brought a gentle smile to his dream self’s face. It was peaceful where they sat together outside in the late afternoon light._ _

__Then the atmosphere abruptly changed. Fear and distress poured into the Force and soured the earlier calm. Obi-Wan opened his eyes (which were indeed blue like Qui-Gon had guessed) and his expression was full of overwhelming terror. Behind him a cloud of darkness started to manifest. It wrapped black tendrils around Obi-Wan’s body and began to pull him backward until the cloud swallowed him up. But before Qui-Gon could so much as cry out he found himself ripped from the field and thrust into a dark room, his knees now resting on what felt like carpeting._ _

__It was too dark to make out any features of the room but in the dim light he could see the dark outlines of two figures before him. One was kneeling like he was, but with forehead touching the ground. The other stood tall, looming over the prostrate figure. Qui-Gon could tell both were human but could discern no other physical features. But he could feel both of them, powerful energies in the Force. The standing figure was like a black hole, a sucking void of darkness swallowing up every bit of light left in the room. Qui-Gon felt an overwhelmingly sinister energy, full of rage and hate._ _

__The kneeling figure was smaller and less powerful and instead radiated nothing but sheer terror. There was something familiar about the terror and it niggled at the back of Qui-Gon’s mind until it finally clicked: Obi-Wan! The scared, prostrate man was his bondmate. Qui-Gon wanted to run to him, to comfort the man, but he found himself rooted to the spot, unable to even rise to his feet. He pounded his fists on the floor in frustration but to no avail._ _

__Then the looming figure spoke._ _

__“You have failed me for the last time,” it growled in a low, angry voice. It raised it’s hand and Qui-Gon saw a lightsaber hilt clutched there. The figure thumbed it on and a bright crimson blade illuminated Obi-Wan, finally bringing his features into stark relief, the fear there pulling at Qui-Gon’s heart._ _

__The other figure, however, remained completely shadowed in darkness. Without another word it lifted the ‘saber high into the air where the blade hung for a moment, then the figure brought it down with terrifying speed and force. In that split second Qui-Gon realized what was happening–Obi-Wan was going to die._ _

__He tried to scream but his voice refused to work and his lungs refused to fill with air. He stretched out a hand in desperation as if somehow he could stop the blade before it fell but he was utterly powerless. Down the blade crashed through the air, closing in on Obi-Wan’s neck, mere centimeters from piercing that delicate flesh–_ _

__And Qui-Gon shot awake, sitting bolt upright in bed. His breathing was ragged and he found himself drenched in a cold sweat and couldn’t keep himself from trembling. _It was just a dream_. he told himself, trying to calm down. But it had felt so real. In fact, he could almost still feel the fear…_ _

__Blinding terror crashed over the bond and Qui-Gon knew it couldn’t have just been a dream. In barely seconds he shot out of bed and out the door, tearing down the hallway to the turbo lift that would take him down to the detention cells. He paced back and forth in the lift, unable to keep still, and with each moment his anxiety grew._ _

__The doors finally open and he sprinted out. He ran right past the guard station at the front and expected to hear shouts but none came. That was odd, but he didn’t have time to think about that now so he continued down to where he knew Obi-Wan’s cell to be._ _

__He skidded to a sudden halt. There, right outside the cell, lay two bodies. The guards who had been stationed there. Qui-Gon regained his bearings and rushed forward to check if either was still alive. Then he saw the darts, one embedded in the first guard’s chest and the other sticking out of the second guard’s neck. Their limbs were stiff and their eyes dull. The bodies were cold. The two had been dead for at least a good thirty minutes, Qui-Gon estimated._ _

__The cell itself was completely empty. Obi-Wan was nowhere to be found._ _

__Qui-Gon heard running feet behind him and turned just in time to see two other Temple guards round the corner._ _

__“What happened?” the first demanded. They were some kind of humanoid though Qui-Gon but Qui-Gon couldn’t figure out their species from behind the mask._ _

__“I don’t know,” he answered weakly. I felt something in the Force and came running and…” he gestured to the scene before them._ _

__The second guard, a Mikkian, gasped at the sight of the bodies, then quickly composed herself. “And the prisoner?” she asked._ _

__“Gone.”_ _

__“We’ll alert the Council right away!”_ _

**Author's Note:**

> Holy shit, first chapter done!! Look, mom and dad, I'm a real fic writer!! Again, kudos and comments are hella appreciated.
> 
> Come yell about star wars with me on tumblr @aphorisnt


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